Music and Vinyl: Bax - The Complete Symphonies

Sir Arnold Bax (1883-1953) was a British composer born into a prosperous family in south London that furnished him with a private income thus allowing him to concentrate on music. Whilst British, he spent most of his life pretending to be Irish, having become fascinated with Ireland and Celtic culture. He taught himself the language, and wrote poetry under the name Dermot O'Byrne.

Myer Fredman

Although mostly known for his tone poems, like Tintagel and the Garden Of Fand, Bax's seven symphonies form the core of his output. Written between 1921 and 1939 they are seen as falling into two groups of three separated by the extrovert interlude that is Symphony No.4. For anyone only familiar with the tone poems, a dismissal of the symphonies as mere Celtic atmosphere will fail to appreciate their strength and formal presentation.

Raymond Leppard

Bax professed himself to be a 'brazen romantic'. This did nothing to endear himself to the musical establishment as the century progressed and Bax's music fell out of fashion. The very large orchestras often called for (triple or quadruple woodwind, extra brass, and organ - sometimes used solely for its bass pedals) made performances of his music expensive propositions. However, composer Eric Coates noted that orchestral players found Bax's music appealing because "whichever instrument he wrote for, it was as if he played that instrument himself, so well did he seem to write for it".

Bax, whose Republican Irish sympathies had seen some of his (or rather Dermot O'Byne's) poetry banned (Ireland still bring under British rule) found himself knighted in 1937 and then, in 1941, appointed Master of the King's Music - both surprising appointments for someone with Bax's views who was far from an establishment figure.

Norman Del Mar

Recordings of the symphonies have, until fairly recently been quite thin on the ground. The Lyrita series - split between three conductors (Myer Fredman, Raymond Leppard and Norman Del Mar) began in 1967 but omitted no.3 and 4. Then in 1983 Chandos embarked on a cycle with Bryden Thomson.

Bryden Thomson

Later we have not one but two CD-only cycles - from Naxos with David Lloyd-Jones, and Chandos (again) with perhaps the most enthusiastic champion of Bax's music - Vernon Handley: a crowning achievement to end his recording career which had begun fittingly enough with Bax's 4th in 1964. Handley's thoughts on the Bax symphonies were recorded as part of the Chandos set, and can be found below.

If you've been following my blog posts you'll know that all the Lyrita recordings - No.1, 2, 5, 6 and 7 - have been posted along with Bryden Thomson's No.3 and 4. I've used my CTC Classic "Garrard" 301 turntable for them all, with a variety of cartridges (Hana, Miyajima, Shelter, Soundsmith and Yamaha), and all the videos are embedded below.

Bax's symphonies form a marvellous cycle of powerful, brooding, contemplative and thoroughly engaging music that deserve to be much better known.