(From Birmingham)
THE BIRMINGHAM STUDIO AUGMENTED
ORCHESTRA
Leader, FRANK CANTELL
Conducted by JOSEPH LEWIS
DENNis NOBLE (Baritone)
ARNOLD TROWELL (Violoncello)
A LTHOUGH Haydn wrote six Violoncello Concertos, only one is at all well known, so that broadly speaking, this is the Violoncellists' one concerto by any of the great classical masters. It is full of Haydn's fresh wholesome melody and his joyous sense of youthful good spirits.
It begins with a full-sized orchestral prelude in which we hear both the main tunes of the first movement before the solo instrument has them. Similar in their sense of fresh gaiety, they are easily distinguished one from the other, and the whole movement is clear and straightforward.
The slow movement begins at once with a beautiful simple tune played by the soloist, and there is afterwards a new tune in the key of C
The last movement is in form a Rondo. It begins with the principal tune, one which suggest, as many of Haydns and Mozart's tunes do, a merry old English folk song. Listeners might even find themselves humming the words ' Here we go gathering nuts in May.'