William Walton - Violin Concerto; Portsmouth Point; Troilus and Cressida (John Wilson)

Information

Composer: William Walton

• Troilus and Cressida Symphonic Suite (arr. Christoper Palmer)
• Violin Concerto
• Portsmouth Point

Charlie Lovell-Jones, violin

Sinfonia of London

John Wilson, conductor

Date: 2025

Label: Chandos

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Review

Charlie Lovell-Jones is a young Welsh violinist who has become a familiar face in recent years as the Sinfonia of London’s leader – in television broadcasts of the virtuoso orchestra’s Proms performances as well as on many award-winning recordings. This album marks the auspicious start of a new Chandos cycle of Walton’s orchestral music which will include one of the three great concertos for string instruments at the heart of each disc. It therefore speaks volumes to the depth of talent present in John Wilson’s orchestra that the three soloists will be Sinfonia section leaders and not imported celebrities. And intimate collaboration is the key to this exceptional performance of the Violin Concerto in more ways than one.

Although composed in 1938 39 for Jascha Heifetz, it was always so much more than a brilliant vehicle for the world’s leading violinist. But many of even the finest performances tend to emphasise the power and virtuosity of the violin-writing at the expense of its inherent expression: for in essence it is a bittersweet and often heart-rending love song full of yearning, intimacy, regret and hope. Walton had fallen deeply in love with Alice Wimborne in 1935 and the work was written under this spell, much of it in her company at Ravello on the Amalfi coast. This fresh new account seems to take its cue from the designation sognando (‘dreamily’) over the singing solo line and never lets the instruction out of sight. Even the most dazzling passages are quicksilver in brilliance and not attention-seeking in a flashy sense. This lyrical impulse is sensitively maintained throughout and unifies the score’s symphonic underpinning with unobtrusive mastery.

Partnership is the hallmark of this performance and the solo part is articulated as if within the orchestra, as opposed to being imposed from without. So many lines of chamber-like dialogue emerge with a melting beauty of interplay, and soloist and conductor are hand-in-glove in their meticulous observation of the score’s instructions. Wilson was made for Walton and the orchestral writing has rarely been captured with such razor-sharp edge cheek-by-jowl with transparent radiance. Such qualities also imbue the rarely heard Symphonic Suite from Troilus and Cressida, where the three string soloists are heard to ravishing effect within the canvas. As for Portsmouth Point, few accounts have bristled with such rapier-like rhythmic verve and dazzling orchestral colour. Hats off to Chandos – with a first volume as impressive as this the rest are eagerly awaited.

— Geraint Lewis

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William Walton (29 March 1902 – 8 March 1983) was an English composer. During a sixty-year career, he wrote music in several classical genres and styles, from film scores to opera. His best-known works include Façade, the cantata Belshazzar's Feast, the Viola Concerto, the First Symphony, and the British coronation marches Crown Imperial and Orb and Sceptre. Walton was a slow worker, painstakingly perfectionist, and his complete body of work is not large. His most popular compositions continue to be frequently performed in the 21st century, and by 2010 almost all his works had been released on CD.

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John Wilson (born 1972) is a British conductor, arranger and musicologist. Born in Gateshead, he studied composition and conducting at the Royal College of Music, and in 2021 he became the Henry Wood Chair of Conducting at the Royal Academy of Music. Wilson relaunched the Sinfonia of London in 2018, leading it to critical acclaim and notable appearances such as its debut at the BBC Proms in 2021. His extensive discography with the orchestra has received widespread recognition, earning numerous awards and praise from critics for recordings of works by Korngold, Respighi and Vaughan Williams.

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