British Tone Poems, Vol. 1 BBC National Orchestra of Wales & Rumon Gamba

• Frederic Austin (1872 - 1952): Spring, Symphonic Rhapsody:
• 1Austin: Spring, Symphonic Rhapsody: I. Moderate movement, easily swinging03:04
• 2Austin: Spring, Symphonic Rhapsody: II. Poco meno mosso02:36
• 3Austin: Spring, Symphonic Rhapsody: III. Slightly broader than Tempo I (easily swinging)01:35
• 4Austin: Spring, Symphonic Rhapsody: IV. Andante moderato03:06
• 5Austin: Spring, Symphonic Rhapsody: V. Più animato quasi ad libitum04:01
• William Alwyn (1905 - 1985):
• 6Alwyn: Blackdown, A Tone Poem from the Surrey Hills05:25
• Sir Granville Bantock (1868 - 1946): The Witch of Atlas, Tone Poem No. 5 for Orchestra:
• 7Bantock: The Witch of Atlas, Tone Poem No. 5 for Orchestra: A. Lento molto e tranquillo02:05
• 8Bantock: The Witch of Atlas, Tone Poem No. 5 for Orchestra: B. Lento misterioso02:15
• 9Bantock: The Witch of Atlas, Tone Poem No. 5 for Orchestra: C. L'istesso tempo02:25
• 10Bantock: The Witch of Atlas, Tone Poem No. 5 for Orchestra: D. Allegretto molto leggiero01:22
• 11Bantock: The Witch of Atlas, Tone Poem No. 5 for Orchestra: E. Andante con molto tenerezza00:59
• 12Bantock: The Witch of Atlas, Tone Poem No. 5 for Orchestra: F. Accelerando00:30
• 13Bantock: The Witch of Atlas, Tone Poem No. 5 for Orchestra: G. Marziale con anima01:49
• 14Bantock: The Witch of Atlas, Tone Poem No. 5 for Orchestra: H. Più tranquillamente02:50
• Ivor Gurney (1890 - 1937): A Gloucestershire Rhapsody:
• 15Gurney: A Gloucestershire Rhapsody: Maestoso e con ampio trascinare03:58
• 16Gurney: A Gloucestershire Rhapsody: L'istesso tempo01:57
• 17Gurney: A Gloucestershire Rhapsody: Poco più mosso03:05
• 18Gurney: A Gloucestershire Rhapsody: A tempo03:11
• 19Gurney: A Gloucestershire Rhapsody: Alla marcia05:50
• Boris Gardiner (b. 1946): A Berkshire Idyll:
• 20Gardiner: A Berkshire Idyll: Adagio - Poco più mosso02:57
• 21Gardiner: A Berkshire Idyll: L'istesso tempo03:58
• 22Gardiner: A Berkshire Idyll: Tempo I. Andante non troppo01:37
• 23Gardiner: A Berkshire Idyll: Adagio, quasi andante03:21
• Ralph Vaughan Williams (1872 - 1958):
• 24Williams: The Solent, Impression for Orchestra12:42
• Total Runtime01:16:38

Info for British Tone Poems, Vol. 1

Alongside their British Isles Overtures series, the BBC NOW and the conductor Rumon Gamba launch a project to bring often neglected symphonic poems by British composers to wider attention and fame.

This first volume presents some of the most individual, yet rarely heard, British tone poems written in the early twentieth century, by composers ranging from the long-established Ralph Vaughan Williams and William Alwyn to Balfour Gardiner and Granville Bantock, giants in their time. Works include Bantock’s atmospheric The Witch of Atlas, based on a poem by Shelley, Frederic Austin’s symphonic rhapsody Spring, Gardiner’s evocation of summer A Berkshire Idyll, recorded here for the first time, and Gurney’s mysterious A Gloucestershire Rhapsody, never performed before 2010.

“Lovers of British music of the early twentieth century need not even begin to hesitate before purchase. ... Rumon Gamba and the orchestra are superbly suited to all this music, and the programme itself is of course unique... This is not just a collection for British audiences; the music deserves to have an international circulation. Lovers of British music of the early twentieth century need not even begin to hesitate before purchase; and hopefully there will be many more volumes in this series to come. There is certainly no shortage of suitable material which lies off the beaten track.” (Paul Corfield Godfrey, MusicWebInternational)

BBC National Orchestra of Wales
Rumon Gamba, conductor

Rumon Gamba
British conductor Rumon Gamba held the positions of Principal Conductor and Music Director of NorrlandsOperan between 2008 and 2015 and Chief Conductor of the Aalborg Symfoniorkester between 2011 and 2015. He was also Chief Conductor and Music Director of Iceland Symphony Orchestra between 2002 and 2010.

A champion of new music, Gamba has given several high profile premieres including the world premieres of Nico Muhly’s Two Boys at English National Opera, Brett Dean’s Viola Concerto with the composer and BBC Symphony Orchestra; national premieres of Poul Ruders’ Dancer in the Dark and Mark-Anthony Turnage’s Blood on the Floor and Scherzoid with Norrdlands Operan and the Australian premiere of the original version of Sibelius’ Symphony No.5 with Queensland Symphony Orchestra. In 2016 he conducted Larsson Gothe’s The African Prophetess with the orchestra of Norrdlands Operan and Cape Town Opera Chorus as part of the Royal Stockholm Philharmonic Orchestras’ composer week.

He will appear at the 2017 Enescu Festival featuring works by Sven Helbig and Rolf Martinsson. He will record new works by Ittai Shapira with BBC National Orchestra of Wales and has been asked to collaborate with the composer Lotta Wennäkoski and the Kymisinfonietta. Gamba returned to the BBC Proms in 2017 to conduct a BBC commission by Michael Gordon for the jazz ensemble ​‘Bang on a Can All-Stars’ together with the Proms Youth Ensemble.

Rumon Gamba has conducted a number of operatic titles including Carmen, La bohème, Otello, Candide and a new production of Rigoletto. In celebration of Umeå’s status as European Capital of Culture 2014, he conducted NorrlandsOperan in an epic outdoor production of Elektra with La Fura dels Baus, which was critically acclaimed.

Gamba records exclusively for Chandos Records

Booklet for British Tone Poems, Vol. 1