ARNOLD BAX

Bax is perhaps best known for his tone poems, in particular Tintagel, and his seven symphonies where Chandos have given us two cycles, the first from Bryden Thomson and the LPO (Ulster Orch in the fourth) and Vernon Handley and the BBC Philharmonic. Both are highly regarded and it's difficult to give a choice between the two. Lesser known however are Bax's works for piano and orchestra which include the Symphonic Variations and the main item on this disc, Winter Legends. These are both major large scale pieces (Winter Legends lasts almost 45 minutes). But are they piano concertos or symphonies with piano? Bax described Winter Legends as "a sinfonia concertante for piano and orchestra". They were written for Bax's muse and mistress Harriet Cohen and may well have suffered from the fact he gave her exclusive rights to performance in her lifetime. The music from 1930 is somewhat dark and brooding and was originally dedicated to Sibelius but Cohen crossed out the dedication on the manuscript and put her own name there! As with his symphonies Bax uses a large orchestra with bass drum, gong, xylophone and glockenspiel. It is an exciting red blooded piece and anyone who appreciates the symphonies should enjoy. Margaret Fingerhut and Bryden Thomson approach the music with plenty of fire and attack in a no holds barred performance. The recorded sound is very resonant and some orchestral detail is lost in the massive climaxes. Highly recommended.