Frank Bridge - Phantasm

Frank Bridge has had music featured here before, and this time we have the 1931 Rhapsody for Piano and Orchestra "Phantasm".

In a review of a CD reissue of this recording, Ian Lace writes:

"Phantasm, premiered in 1934, was coolly received by the critics in spite of a performance, distinguished by soloist Kathleen Long, that drew praise from Frank Bridge. Paul Hindmarsh, in his erudite, quite technical, yet accessible notes, suggests that "it inhabits the world of dreams and ghostly apparitions". Once again, the work is cast in one continuous movement. It opens with extended piano musings only briefly interrupted by a protesting orchestral outburst before violins, later joined by woodwinds, express meekness and yearning that is brushed aside by descending piano scales. The music develops very much in the way of Late Romantic concertos and in some respects the music of Hollywood romances is not too distant. The tempo quickens in the second Allegro moderato section, dreams turning to nightmares as grotesqueries, waltzes first distorted, then softened, and martial figures stalk. As in the opening movement, the piano first meanders through the Andante molto moderato that follows, seemingly to no purpose. Reflecting, autumnal strings enter to point the piano towards nostalgic regret and a ghostly solo violin summons wraithlike apparitions before more Hollywood perorations."

In a another review Rob Barnett writes:

"Wraiths and dispossessed spirits seem to wander through an impressionistic world with some Gallic elements. . . The second movement in particular has a ruthless activity about it and an almost murderous seriousness of purpose. One can imagine Bernard Herrmann loving this work - I wonder if he ever performed it, perhaps with the CBS network when he was performing so many British works in the 1940s. The darkly spangled heroism at 2.01 in the allegro moderato has some parallels with Nights in the Gardens of Spain but here the gardens are full of lichen, poisonous greenery and leering misshapen creatures. . . It would have fascinated Peter Warlock, Cecil Gray, Bernard van Dieren and Constant Lambert. This is a magnificent work which is by no means entirely wispy mezzotints - the two allegro movements II and IV radiate a devastatingly effective heroism shot through with morbidity. None of the movements are without Bridge's touching yet tortured lyricism even if it is glimpsed through shattered mirror shards - half Ravel and half Schoenberg."

Cartridge: Soundsmith Zephyr MIMC Star,

Phono amp: Graham Slee Accession MC

Turntable: CTC Classic 301 with SME M2-12R

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