Andrew Clements 

Bax: Phantasy; Four Orchestral Pieces; Overture, Elegy and Rondo review

Andrew Davis conducts the BBC Philharmonic in a charming, if rarely heard, interpretation of Bax's early works, writes Andrew Clements
  
  


All three of these rarely heard works come from the first half of Bax's career as a composer. The earliest is the lightweight but charming set of Four Orchestral Pieces from 1914, recorded here for the first time, and also known as the Four Orchestral Sketches or the Four Irish Pieces – all three names are used on the manuscript. The latest is the far more substantial Overture, Elegy and Rondo, which was completed in 1927. Though stylistically the two works have their differences – the wispy French influences on the four pieces, especially Ravel, were replaced by a more muscular, clearer-cut style by the mid-1920s – both works reveal the same sure-footed handling of the orchestra, which these carefully manicured performances under conductor Andrew Davis show off beautifully. Between them comes the Phantasy for Viola and Orchestra of 1920, composed for the virtuoso Lionel Tertis, and Bax's reaction to the political turmoil in Ireland at the time, moving from lament to triumph and quoting the Sinn Fein marching song at its climax. Not a major work, but a very interesting one, as the soloist, Philip Dukes, makes the most of what he's given.

 

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