Title: Malcolm Williamson: Chamber Music for Wind & Piano Artist: Ensemble Polyharmonique Label: Divine Art Product Type: COMPACT DISCS UPC: 809730112027 Genre: Classical Artists Release Date: 2025-05-16 Number of Discs: 1
MALCOLM WILLIAMSON: The uncompromising and divisive Master of the Queen's MusicOnce one of the most widely performed composers of his generation, Malcolm Williamson's music has since fallen into obscurity. This new recording - featuring 16 world premieres - seeks to redress that balance, offering a fresh perspective on a composer whose work defied easy categorization.Williamson's output ranged from bold serial explorations to tuneful lyricism, often within the same piece. His music was lauded for it's ingenuity yet suffered from the composer's refusal to conform to prevailing academic tastes. As Master of the Queen's Music, he occupied a prestigious position but remained a divisive figure-uncompromising in his artistic voice and unpredictable in both temperament and style.Drawn from recently uncovered archives, this collection spans nearly five decades of Williamson's career, from early student works to some of his final compositions. The album includes the Clarinet Trio (1958), a strikingly assured work praised for it's "forthright tunefulness" and loose application of serial technique, and the Concerto for Wind Quintet and Two Pianos, Eight Hands (1966), an intricate, often densely chromatic score performed by an extraordinary ensemble of composer-pianists. Other highlights include the ballet-inspired Pas de Quatre (1967), the haunting Pieta (1973) for mezzo-soprano and ensemble-setting texts by Swedish poet Pär Lagerkvist-and the enigmatic Gallery (1966), a set of miniature pieces likely composed for an unknown television project.These performances, led by pianist and producer Antony Gray, bring Williamson's music vividly to life, illuminating it's rhythmic dynamism, harmonic inventiveness, and sheer expressive range. With the discovery of the Williamson archive in 2023, this recording marks an important step in reintroducing a composer whose legacy deserves reappraisal.
Tracks: 1.1 Gallery, television score~Opening Music 1 1.2 Gallery, television score~Concluding Music A 1.3 Pas de quatre~I. Allegro vivace 1.4 Pas de quatre~II. Variation A 1.5 Pas de quatre~III. Pas de trois 1.6 Pas de quatre~IV. Variation B 1.7 Pas de quatre~V. Pas de deux 1.8 Pas de quatre~VI. Coda 1.9 Vocalise in G 1.10 Year of Birds: December 1.11 Vocalise in G minor 1.12 Trio for Clarinet, Cello ; Piano~I. Poco Lento 1.13 Trio for Clarinet, Cello ; Piano~II. Allegro – Presto 1.14 Gallery, television score~Opening Music 2 1.15 Gallery, television score~Concluding Music B 1.16 Pieta 1.17 Gallery, television score~Opening Music 3 1.18 Gallery, television score~Sandwich Trailer 2 1.19 Music for Solo Horn 1.20 Concerto Fragment 1.21 Gallery, television score~Sandwich Trailer 1 1.22 Gallery, television score~Concluding Music C 1.23 Concerto for Wind Quintet ; Two Pianos (Eight Hands)~I. Lento 1.24 Concerto for Wind Quintet ; Two Pianos (Eight Hands)~II. Allegro 1.25 Concerto for Wind Quintet ; Two Pianos (Eight Hands)~III. Lento 1.26 Concerto for Wind Quintet ; Two Pianos (Eight Hands)~IV. Allegro vivo
