Recorded in March at the Watford Colosseum, this is the final recording made by Bramwell Tovey who died in July. It’s a distinguished swansong, for he and a very responsive BBC Concert Orchestra have set down a really fine account of Francis Poulenc’s four-movement Sinfonietta (1948), such warm-hearted music if not without shadows, and also embracing wit and charm. Tovey and his players find much in this work – plenty of point and poetry – and end with an infectious dash through the humorous Finale. The other substantial score (forty minutes) is for the ballet Les Animaux modèles (completed in 1942), easy-to-enjoy descriptive music of copious characters, unmistakably Poulencian in its twinkle-in-the-eye song and dance – charming, sparkling, bittersweet, urbane … some gravitas – performed with sensitivity, delight, pizzazz and generosity, with noteworthy instrumental cameos along the way: at one point leader Nathaniel Anderson-Frank might be thought to have strayed into Richard Strauss’s Till Eulenspiegel. Splendid sound from Ralph Couzens to complement Brian Pidgeon’s production values. Chandos CHSA 5260 [SACD] is released on November 4.
Bramwell Tovey & the BBC Concert Orchestra record Poulenc for Chandos.
Oct 20, 2022 | Outstanding [category w.e.f. January 2021], Recording Reviews | 2 comments

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Bramwell Tovey spent much of his career out of our sight and only returned to our shores recently. Not enough time to place him as a really spontaneous musician whose performances enhanced the works he delivered. This last recording shows his skills in unfamiliar repertoire. He is a serious loss to British music.
Indeed, Edward – who can forget Leonard Bernstein’s praise of Bram?