William Walton

William " Turner" Walton is a British Compositeur born with Oldham (Lancashire) the March 29th 1902, and died with Ischia (Italy) the March 8th 1983.

Biography

Called “the enfant terrible of the English music”, William Walton between at the ten years age in the school of the chorus-singers of the cathedral Church Christ of Oxford, where it will remain of 1912 with 1918. In parallel, he studies the music as an autodidact and composes already.
In 1919, whereas it is just seventeen years old, it writes its first important work, a “Quartet for piano and cords”, which will be played Festival of the International Société of Modern music in 1923.
Starting from 1919, it binds friendship with Sitwell, an important family of men of letters. This friendship will offer to him a personal residence until him in their manor to Chelsea. Edith Sitwell, one of the sisters, then plays London a part similar to that of Jean Cocteau in Paris.

Of 1920 with 1930, Walton is with the head of the musical avant-garde in the United Kingdom.

In 1921, it composes one of its major works, “ Façade ”, on poems of Edith Sitwell. Created in London in 1923, this work causes a real scandal because Edith outputs her worms with a Mégaphone, and the music of Walton seems too moderne.
In 1926, the International Company of Modern music creates its opening in concert “Portsmouth not” with Zurich.
Starting from 1929, Walton knows the dedication with works of maturity proving its aptitude to be composed of the music of the traditional type. In 1929, Paul Hindemith creates his “Concerto for viola” with the " Concerts" walks; from London. Its biblical Oratorio “Belshazzar' S feast”, composed in 1931, places it in the line of the large British Masters, of Haendel to Elgar.

Starting from 1937, one considers it as official type-setter of the Kingdom at the time of the crowning of the king Georges VI, for which it composes “Crown Imperial March”, then in 1953, at the time of the crowning of Elisabeth II, with her work “Orb and Sceptre”. In 1939, Jascha Heifetz requests it to write a “Concerto for violin”. And it composes in 1940 the opening “Scapino” for the fiftieth birthday of the Symphony orchestra of Chicago.

“The enfant terrible of the English music” became a famous type-setter!

After the war, William Walton is interested in the cinema and composes of outstanding works, particularly for the trilogy shakespearienne of Laurence Olivier: “HENRY V” in 1944, “HAMLET” in 1947 and “RICHARD III” in 1956. It approaches the opera in 1954 with “Troilus and Cressida”, created with Covent Garden and frequently represented in Great Britain, if not ailleurs.

In 1951, it is anobli and becomes Sir William Walton.

William Walton was fascinated by the guitar, although he was not guitarist himself. The idea to compose for this instrument makes day in him, and it composes " Five trifles for guitare". With this intention, it had decided to consult the famous guitarist Julian Bream in all the process of composition in order to make to these Trifles the idiomatic chiefs of work of guitar which they are today. One can think that the combination of a creativity without limits of a type-setter and an active participation of a guitarist of exception was crucial to give to each one of these pieces their single and beautiful character, recognized and greeted by the whole of criticisms musicaux.
" Five Bagatelles" were thus written for Julian Bream, which will be the official publicator, and their first execution will be made on May 27th, 1972. Walton will then be recognized by the whole of the world of the guitar like one of the largest alive type-setters having ever composed for this instrument.

He spends the last years of his life on the island of Ischia with his wife Susana, both isolated from the rest of the world, in a paradisiac decoration of subtropical vegetation. This property became a place of studies and files for young musicians.
On a rock where its ashes rest, Susana Walton made register the quotation of Thomas Traherne:
“ Toute congratulated consists in doing what Adam did”.

In short, one could say that Sir Walton was modernistic with an artistic advance in margin of the traditional circuits. There remained attached to the traditional forms, particularly in its symphonic works inherited the great romantic tradition. Its work is before any main road and deeply britannique.

Summary discography

Symphonies

Symphony n° 1 (1932/35) - Royal Philharmonic, Andre Previn (1987 - Telarc)
Symphony n° 1 - City off Birmingham Symphony Orchestrated, Simon Rattle (1990 - Emi)
Symphonie n° 1 - London Philhamonic, Bryden Thomson (1991 - Chandos)
Symphonie n° 1 - English Northen Philharmonic, Paul Daniel (1994 - Naxos)
Symphonie n° 2 - Cleveland Orchestra, Georges Szell (1959 - Sony)

Symphonic works

Partita for orchestra - Cleveland Orchestrated, Georges Szell (1965 - Sony)
Partita for orchestra - English Northen Philharmonic, Paul Daniel (1994 - Naxos)
Variation on a topic of Hindemith - Cleveland Orchestra, Georges Szell (1965 - Sony)
Varii Capricci - London Philhamonic, Bryden Thomson (1991 - Chandos)

Concertos

Concerto for violin - Dong-Suk Kang/English Northen Philharmonic, Paul Daniel (1997 - Naxos)
Concerto for violoncello - Tim Hugh/English Northen Philharmonic, Paul Daniel (1997 - Naxos)
Concerto for viola - Nobuko Imai/London Philhamonic, Lathan-Koening (1992 - Chandos)

Chamber music

Quartet with piano (1921) - Quartet Maggini & Peter Donohoe, piano (1999 - Naxos)
String quartet (1947) - Quartet Maggini (1999 - Naxos)

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