DENNIS NOBLE (Baritone); PAUL BEARD (Violin); HAROLD MILLS (Violin) ; THE STATION
ORCHESTRA
SIBELIUS is foremost amongst living Scandinavian composers. In much of his music he uses national idioms and often derives the rhythms of his virile, rugged music from those of Finnish folk-poems.
From Karelia, in the south of Finland, come most of the national legends. The Kareliians a cheery, brisk people, have been called 'born poets and born traders.'
DENNIS NOBLE and ORCHESTRA
FIGARO, the famous town barber of Seville, was a creation of Beaumarchais. He appears in both this Opera of Rossini and Mozart's Marriage of Figaro. In this gay' patter' song he struts about, proclaiming the delights of being trusted and looked up to by all sorts of people, especially lovers, who confide in him and ask his advice and help.
THE three Movements are as follows :—
FIRST MOVEMENT (Lively). The interest of this Movement lies in a happily bustling tune. taken up in alternation by the two Violin parts (whether these happen to be. for the moment, the Solo Violins or the Orchestral Violins).
Sometimes one Solo Violin starts a Tune which is then taken up (almost in Fugue style) by the other.
Note especially the opening Tune (by Orchestral Second Violins, immediately imitated by Orchestral First Violins). This Tune is important. It often recurs, and may be looked upon as the Main Tune of the Movement.
SECOND MOVEMENT (Slow. but not too much so). This is a very expressive Movement, and has become famous. The Solo Violins p!ay throughout, the other Violins everywhere forming a mere part of the accompanying body. We have, in fact, a Violin Duet with String accompanlment
THIRD MOVEMENT. In spirit, style and construction this is to like the First Movement as to call for little description.
The Solo Violins (with accompaniment by the rest of the instruments) begin in imitation at a mere heat's distance.
A passage that comes twice in the movement. and that is different in style from any previously heard in this Concerto, is one where the two Solo Violins repeat quaver four-note chords (each Violin in ' double-stopping) whilst the orchestral Strings run about playfully in semi-quavers.
SCHUMANN did some of his finest work ; when for a period he. concentrated on some particular form of music.
These times of special interest in some one branch of composition all followed on his happy marriage (in 1840, when he was thirty).
In the first year of his married life he wrote no fewer than three symphonic works.
He described his first Symphony as ' born in a fiery hour.' Certainly the inspiration flowed with wonderful freedom, for it is said that the outlines at least of the work were sketched in four days.
He called this a ' Spring Symphony,' the First
Movement suggesting to him 'Spring's Awakening ' and the last
' 'Spripg'.s Farewell.'
FIRST MOVEMENT. A call-to-attention for Brass opens an Introduction that soon leads to the First Main
Tune (Strings and Woodwind), which is a quiekened-up form of the Brass ' call,' full of Springtime hope and ardour.
- The Second Main -Tune (Clarinets and Bassoons. Violas interjecting a tiny murmuring phrase), is gentle, gracious and serene.
These ideas, with one or two subsidiary ones, are fully dealt with, and the Movement runs happily to
'its end.
SECOND MOVEMENT. The Slow Movement starts with a graceful Tune on the Violins, in octaves.
Flute and Clarinet have a. second section of it (answered by Strings), and then the 'Cellos take up the opening strain.
A littlè phrase of four notes, first heard from Oboe and Second Violin. forms an interlude, leading back to the First Tune.
THIRD MOVEMENT. The Scherzo has a First Main Tune, the first strain played by Strings, the second by Clarinet and Bassoon.
For the First of the two Trios, or contrasting sections, the time changes to two-in-a-bar.
After the opening part has been repeated, the second Trio is played.
Finally, the opening bars of the Scherzo, appearing for the third time, lead into a short tail piece, or Coda. to round off the Movement.
FOURTH MOVEMENT. The lively, graceful
Finale starts with a five-bar Introduction that has a touch of syncopation.
The First Main Tune trips along in light even notes in the Strings.
An episode, chiefly for Woodwind, leads to the Second Main Tune (Clarinets and Bassoons). This is similar in rhythm to the phrase that opened the Movement, and has a semi-religious air.
On this material the Movement is founded.