Sir Arnold Bax (1883 - 1953) was an English composer, poet, and author. His output includes songs, choral music, chamber pieces, and solo piano works, but he is best known for his orchestral music. In addition to a series of seventeen symphonic poems and a number of concertante works., he wrote seven numbered symphonies, and was for a time widely regarded as the leading British symphonist. He is a personal favourite of mine, ranking easily in my top 20 composers. The text of this post includes snippets of Wikipedia entries.
As with all posts dedicated to one composer, I will select my 12 favourite works, listed in chronological order. All depicted CD's are from my own collection.
The Garden of Fand ( 1916)
The Garden of Fand is a tone poem inspired by an Irish mythical figure: Fand, the daughter of the lord of the ocean. The work evokes Fand's island. The composer had been greatly influenced by Celtic culture in his earlier works, but described this one as his last in that vein. The version shown above is by the Ulster Orchestra under Bryden Thomson on a Chandos CD.
November Woods (1917)
November Woods is not be the most famous of his tone poems, but for me it is the best. Bax stated that the piece "may be taken as an impression of the dank and stormy music of nature in the late autumn, but the whole piece and its origins are connected with certain rather troublous experiences I was going through myself at the time...." The version shown above is by the Royal Scottish National Orchestra under David Lloyd-Jones on a Naxos CD.
String Quartet No. 1 in G major (1918)
This is the first of three numbered string quartets (there are also two unnumbered early works) - and my favourite of the three, a truly wonderful piece that deserves far more attention than it is getting. The version shown above is by the Maggini Quartet on a Naxos CD.
Tintagel (1919)
Tintagel is clearly his most famous tone poem, and also in my opinion one of the best. Bax stated that the piece "is intended to evoke...the castle-crowned cliff of Tintagel, and more particularly the wide distances of the Atlantic as seen from the cliffs of Cornwall on a sunny but not windless summer day." The version shown above is by the Ulster Orchestra under Bryden Thomson on a Chandos CD.
Quintet for Harp and Strings (1919)
The Quintet for Harp and Strings is a one movement work inspired by Ireland. Intriguingly, the piece opens like a string quartet, with the harp used sparingly in an accompanying way. Later on, the harp gets far more prominent as one would expect. It is a sorrowful yet beautiful piece. The version shown above is by the Nash Ensemble on a Hyperion CD.
Symphony No. 1 (1922)
The first of his seven numbered symphonies, and in my opinion one of the best first symphonies of the twentieth century. Its outer movements were based on a Piano Sonata in E♭ that Bax subsequently orchestrated, while the central movement was newly composed for the symphony. The version shown above is by the London Philharmonic Orchestra under Bryden Thomson on a Chandos CD.
Oboe Quintet (1922)
Bax wrote his Oboe Quintet very quickly, between the completion and the first performance of his epic first Symphony, in the autumn of 1922. In a work ending with an Irish jig, Bax is again reflecting his engagement with Ireland (quote from Hyperion site). The version shown above is by Darah Francis and the English String Quartet on a Chandos CD.
Symphony No. 3 (1929)
His gentle third symphony is one of my two top favourites from this excellent cycle. It is reputedly the most often performed as well. He composed it in Scotland and was influenced to a large extent by the spirit of Northern legends.
The Tale the Pine-Trees Knew (1931)
The last of Bax' brilliant tone poems to make this list. To quote the composer: "Thinking of two landscapes dominated by pine-trees (Norway and the west of Scotland) thinking too of the Norse sagas and the wild traditional legends of the Highland Celt".
Cello Concerto (1932)
This Cello Concerto has a soundscape similar to that of his seven symphonies, with the cello integrated very well. A beautiful concerto, for me the third best in the genre (after Moeran and Finzi, but well ahead of the more famous ones by Dvořák and Elgar). The version shown above is by Raphael Wallfisch and the London Philharmonic Orchestra under Bryden Thomson on a Chandos CD.
Symphony No. 6 (1935)
The sixth symphony is my favourite of the seven numbered symphonies, and is widely seen as his best. It is said that it was Bax' favourite as well. The Nordic inspiration is less clear than in previous symphonies, but it is still there, as demonstrated by a reference to Sibelius' Tapiola.
Violin Concerto (1938)
This Concerto for Violin and Orchestra is his final concerto. In contrast to most of his orchestral output, it is a relatively sunny piece. The lay-out is traditional, in three movements with a Rondo as the third, and there are some Irish influences in the melodies. The version shown above is by the Ulster Orchestra under Bryden Thomson on a Chandos CD.
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