Lyrita has been doing its bit for Daniel Jones. This is the fifth issue of his music, specifically the Symphonies, taken from BBC recordings, the conducting shared between Sir Charles Groves and Bryden Thomson. Sadly, I do not have the previous releases (hint!) but on the strength of the music on this latest disc I am very keen to catch up.
Welshman Jones (1912-93) composed thirteen Symphonies. The Third (1951) has three movements and lasts half-an-hour, whereas the Fifth (1958) has four and adds ten minutes. These are ‘real’ Symphonies – distinctive ideas, intellectually rigorous in terms of structure, development and goals, and emotionally potent, eloquent and powerful. When he says what he wants to say, invariably of considerable import, he stops; no waffle.
Both these works compel attention – if I had intended cursory listening to get a feel for things, I instead found myself absorbed, listening intently to impressive music for each Symphony’s respective duration, wondering why these pieces are not heard more often (and probably not programmed in thirty years*, a shame if so).
These studio recordings intended for broadcast, from January and February 1990*, are excellent in terms of sound and performance (the BBC Welsh Symphony Orchestra is today’s BBC National Orchestra of Wales), sympathetically guided by Bryden Thomson, and well-presented in terms of annotation. Lyrita SRCD.390.
Hopefully, the remaining Symphonies, the final two, will be along soon.