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Track(s) taken from CDA67545

The Bird Actors

composer
Overture, 1925, revised 1927

English Northern Philharmonia, David Lloyd-Jones (conductor)
Recording details: December 2004
Clothworkers' Hall, University of Leeds, United Kingdom
Produced by Andrew Keener
Engineered by Phil Rowlands
Release date: August 2005
Total duration: 3 minutes 18 seconds
 

Reviews

‘Jonathan Plowright cuts a dash with his scintillating technique, opalescent tone and beguiling range of colour … a winner of a disc, this’ (Gramophone)

‘The performances are splendid. David Lloyd-Jones and the English Northern Philharmonia give the impression of enjoying themselves as much as the composer evidently did … pianist Jonathan Plowright brings just the right amount of vitality, wit and delicacy. A must for all British music enthusiasts’ (BBC Music Magazine)

‘Lambert was a maverick, rebelling against convention, and these dapper performances convey both his brilliant craftsmanship and his boundless zest’ (The Daily Telegraph)

‘A totally recommendable new CD, which in terms of repertoire, performances and recording quality has the edge over its rivals. In addition, Stephen Lloyd's booklet notes are masterly. All in all, this constitutes a superb issue for the Lambert centenary’ (International Record Review)

‘A fascinating programme’ (The Times)

‘Sparkling disc of five orchestral works … Plowright and Lloyd-Jones are masterly advocates for this brilliant, entertaining music’ (The Sunday Times)

‘Strongly recommended—hats off to Hyperion once again’ (HMV Choice)
The overture The Bird Actors began simply as an overture for piano duet, written in 1925 and dedicated ‘To G M Gordon Brown’; this was his fellow-student Gavin Gordon, best known for his ballet The Rake’s Progress that Lambert was to introduce with the Vic-Wells Company. The Overture was then incorporated as the finale to Adam and Eve but withdrawn when Diaghilev changed the title to Romeo and Juliet. So in 1927 it was rescored as The Bird Actors overture, taking its title from an unpublished poem by Sacheverell Sitwell, and first performed on 6 July 1931 in a Camargo Society programme as an interlude preceding Lambert’s second ballet, Pomona.

from notes by Stephen Lloyd © 2005

Au départ, l’ouverture The Bird Actors n’était qu’une simple ouverture pour duo pianistique (1925) dédiée à un condisciple («To G. M. Gordon Brown»), Gavin Gordon, surtout connu pour son ballet The Rake’s Progress, que Lambert devait présenter avec la Vic-Wells Company. Intégrée à Adam and Eve (comme finale), puis supprimée lorsque Diaghilev rebaptisa le ballet Romeo and Juliet, elle fut réécrite en 1927 et devint l’ouverture The Bird Actors, d’après le titre d’un poème inédit de Sacheverell Sitwell. Elle fut créée le 6 juillet 1931 dans un programme de la Camargo Society, où elle servit d’interlude avant le deuxième ballet de Lambert, Pomona, avec le compositeur à la baguette.

extrait des notes rédigées par Stephen Lloyd © 2005
Français: Hypérion

Die Ouvertüre The Bird Actors entstand zuerst einfach als eine Ouvertüre für vierhändiges Klavier. Sie wurde 1925 komponiert und ist „G. M. Gordon Brown“ gewidmet, Lamberts Kommilitonen Gavin Gordon, der am besten durch sein Ballett The Rake’s Progress bekannt wurde, das Lambert später mit dem Vic-Wells Ballet vorstellen sollte. Die Ouvertüre wollte Lambert dann als Finale in Adam and Eve verwenden, ließ den Gedanken aber fallen, als Diaghilew den Titel zu Romeo and Juliet änderte. 1927 wurde die Ouvertüre dann zu The Bird Actors umgearbeitet. Der Titel stammt aus einem unveröffentlichten Gedicht von Sacheverell Sitwell. Die Uraufführung der Ouvertüre fand am 6. Juli 1931 in einem vom Komponisten dirigierten Programm der Camargo Society statt, wo sie zwischen zwei andere Werke eingeschoben wurde. Das zweite davon war Lamberts zweites Ballett Pomona.

aus dem Begleittext von Stephen Lloyd © 2005
Deutsch: Elke Hockings

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