Walton - Symphonies 1 & 2

The Guardian 80

Bournemouth Symphony Orchestra/Karabits
(Onyx)

Bournemouth Symphony Orchestra now boasts a strong current discography, recorded with its inspirational music director, Kirill Karabits. After an array of Russians, Walton’s two symphonies mark a fresh departure. Symphony No 1 (1935), which the composer struggled to finish, opens – after a pianissimo timpani roll – with a broad, outdoor canter and an unmistakable splash of Sibelius. By the last movement, Walton’s own majestic, brass-rich orchestral voice takes over (strains of Crown Imperial, which he wrote soon after). In contrast, the second symphony has lighter textures, with echoes of Stravinsky, and, surprisingly for a more rear garde composer, ventures into atonality. Brass and woodwind shine throughout, and the BSO strings sound punchy and lithe.