WILLIAM ALWYN (1905–1985)

 

Elizabethan Dances

 

Elizabethan Dances (1956–7)

The Innumerable Dance - An English Overture (1933)

Concerto for Oboe, Harp and Strings (1943–44)

Aphrodite in Aulis – An Eclogue for Small Orchestra after George Moore (1932)

Symphonic Prelude “The Magic Island” (1952)

Festival March (1951)

 

Jonathan Small, (oboe), Royal Liverpool Philharmonic Orchestra, David Lloyd-Jones, Eleanor Hudson (harp)

 

This fifth volume in the Naxos cycle of the complete orchestral works of William Alwyn features the popular Elizabethan Dances, which contrast ancient and modern dance rhythms from the courts of Elizabeth I and Elizabeth II. Composed during World War II, the Oboe Concerto expresses the composer’s yearning for the peace and beauty of the English countryside. The atmospheric Symphonic Prelude “The Magic Island” was inspired by Shakespeare’s The Tempest.

 

A perfect evocation of Spring, The Innumerable Dance is a tone poem in all but name. This and the exquisite miniature Aphrodite in Aulis have not been heard in concert for over 70 years, and here receive their world première recording.

 

Previous praise for the Royal Liverpool Philharmonic Orchestra and David Lloyd-Jones performing the Naxos cycle of the complete orchestral works of William Alwyn: “This is a superb recording and yet another feather in the cap of Naxos, the RLPO and Lloyd-Jones.” Classic fm Magazine on Naxos 8557648

 

Naxos 8570144