William Walton Catalogue

C17 PORTSMOUTH POINT 23

C17 PORTSMOUTH POINT 23 Date of composition: Spring to November 1925 Holograph: Beinecke: GEN MSS 601 (FRKF 588a). The library also contains a copy of the full score by Constant Lambert. Instrumentation: picc.2 (II + picc).2.ca.2.bcl.2.cbn/ 4.3.3.1/timp/perc (3 pref 4: tri, cyms, sus cym, tamt, cast, xyl, sd, bd, tamb)/strings Dedication: To Siegfried Sassoon Duration: 6 minutes First performance: Zürich, Tonhalle, 22 June 1926 (4th ISCM Festival); Tonhalle Orchestra, conducted by Volkmar Andreae. (Concert included Hindemith’s Concerto for Orchestra, Casella’s Partita for piano and orchestra and Webern’s Five Pieces for Orchestra. The festival programme book contained an article signed ‘W.T.W.’ in which Walton surveyed his career and compositions.) First London performance: His Majesty’s Theatre, 28 June 1926, when it was played as a symphonic interlude during an evening of ballet; the resident orchestra for the Diaghilev Ballets Russes season, conducted by Eugene Goossens First American performance: Boston, Symphony Hall, 19 November 1926; Boston Symphony Orchestra, conducted by Serge Koussevitzky First UK concert performance: London, Queen’s Hall, Monday 12 September 1927 (Promenade Concert); Henry Wood Symphony Orchestra, conducted by William Walton First broadcast performance: BBC London Station, 19 July 1928; Wireless Symphony Orchestra, conducted by Edward Clark Other early performances: London, Queen’s Hall, 14 August 1930 (the opening 1930 Promenade concert, broadcast by the BBC on the National Programme); BBC Symphony Orchestra, conducted by William Walton • London, Queen’s Hall, 21 January 1931 (BBC Symphony Concert, broadcast on the National Programme); BBC Symphony Orchestra conducted by Ernest Ansermet • Worcester, Public Hall, 7 September 1932 (Three Choirs Festival concert); London Symphony Orchestra, conducted by William Walton • London, Queen’s Hall, 11 August 1936 (broadcast by the BBC on the National Programme); BBC Symphony Orchestra, conducted by William Walton. (It was noted in Musical Times that Walton’s conducting had very much improved. The first half of this Promenade concert featured other works by Walton including his Symphony (C27), also conducted by the composer.) • New York, Carnegie Hall, 26 October 1939; New York Philharmonic Orchestra, conducted by John Barbirolli Publication: full score: OUP, 1928, at 15s • miniature score: OUP, 1930, at 3s 6d • study score: OUP [mid-1960s]; reissue of the 1928 full score in smaller format. Some of the corrections in this score are derived from observations made by Norman Del Mar in his notes on Portsmouth Point (‘Confusion and Error’, The Score, October 1957). See also BL Music Misc. i308a: correction to a printed copy of the overture Portsmouth Point, 1958. Autograph, written in ink on a strip of paper now bound with a copy of the printed score, extensively annotated in pencil by Norman Del Mar. The correction consists of a chord added to the brass parts in the fifth bar after figure 26. With a letter from Christopher Morris of OUP to Del Mar. • WWE vol. 14, pp.1–38 • study score: OUP, 2013 at £18.95 Bibliography: David Lloyd-Jones, WWE vol. 14 • MT 67 (March 1926), p. 225; (August 1926), p. 785 (B. Maine); 69 (August 1928), p. 704 (F.B.); 71 (September 1930), pp. 844–5 (‘xxx’); 72 (March 1931), p. 261; 73 (October 1932), pp. 892–4 (E. Blom); 77 (September 1936), p. 842 (F. Howes); NYT, 27 Oct 1939, p. 30 (O. Downes); NZZ, 24 June 1926, [p. 1] (Eisler); Times, 29 June 1926, p. 14; 30 June 1926, p. 14; 13 Sept 1927, p. 14; 15 Aug 1930, p. 10; 9 Sept 1932, p. 8 Recordings: 78, LP, CD NESO / Anthony Bernard. Decca M94 (1935) • BBC Symphony Orchestra / Adrian Boult. HMV DA1540 (1936) • Minneapolis Symphony Orchestra / Mitropoulos. Columbia 12755D (1946) • Philharmonia Orchestra / Walton (recorded Kingsway Hall, London, 21 March 1953). Columbia 33C 1016 (1953); Columbia SEL 1506 (1954); Angel (USA) 35639 (1958); SEG 8217 (1963); HMV HQM 1006 (1965); EMI SLS5246 (1982); EMI CHS 5 65003 2 (1994) • London Philharmonic Orchestra / Adrian Boult. Decca LXT 5028 (1955); Decca 575 459 2 (2002) • London Philharmonic Orchestra / Walton (recorded Walthamstow Assembly Hall, 15 April 1970). Lyrita SRCS 47 (1971); Lyrita SRCD 224 (1992) • London Symphony Orchestra / André Previn. EMI ASD2990 (1974); EMI CDC 7 47624 2 (1986); EMI CDM 7 64723 2 (1993); EMI 6 80508 2 (2012)/ EMI Collector’s Edition 4 40861 2 (2012) • London Philharmonic Orchestra / Bryden Thomson: Chandos CHAN 8968 (1991); CHAN 9426 (1995) Note: Two of Walton’s letters to Sacheverell Sitwell (Renishaw archive and quoted in Sarah Bradford, Sacheverell Sitwell: Splendours and Miseries, London: Sinclair- Stevenson, 1993) mention the overture. He told Sitwell on 9 November 1925 that he had finished Portsmouth Point, and later (26 November 1925) added that he had shown the For perusal purposes only

24 C17 PORTSMOUTH POINT score to Diaghilev, who had praised it as ‘a most brilliant, fresh and exhilarating work’ and had intimated that he might use Walton’s music for a ballet. The next year (5 October 1926, WW archive), Walton wrote to Siegfried Sassoon and informed him that Hubert Foss (at OUP) ‘has taken not only those songs but also “Portsmouth Point” [and has] made a contract for five years to publish my works.’ In a letter to Christabel Aberconway (15 September 1927, BL), Walton mentioned the performance of the overture at the Prom concert of 12 September which he conducted, ‘[it] went quite grandly and went down very well. (I was recalled three times).’ Other versions C17a Portsmouth Point arrangement for small orchestra by Constant Lambert Holograph: Beinecke: GEN MSS 601 (FRKF 588b) Instrumentation: picc.1.1.2.1/2.2.1.0/timp/perc (2: sus cym, cast, xyl (opt), sd, tamb)/strings First performance: London, Savoy Theatre, 6 June 1932 (Camargo Ballet Season); players from the London Symphony Orchestra, conducted by Constant Lambert. The season also included performances of Job (Vaughan Williams), Swan Lake, and High Yellow (Spike Hughes). The overture was used as an orchestral interlude, with a new drop curtain, shown during its performance, specially designed by Edward McKnight Kauffer. First broadcast performance: London, BBC Studios, 13 July 1932 (broadcast on the BBC Daventry National Programme); BBC Orchestra (Section C) conducted by Constant Lambert. A programme of music from the repertoire of the Camargo Ballet Society. BBC Orchestra (Section C) was a section of the BBC Symphony Orchestra designated as a theatre orchestra (of 36 players) to play dramatic programmes, musical comedy, etc. Publication: score and parts on hire: OUP, 1932 Bibliography: Times, 7 June 1932, p. 12; Danc T 262 (July 1932), 331–8 Recordings: London Philharmonic Orchestra / Jan Latham-Koenig. Chandos CHAN 9148 (1993); CHAN 9426 (1995) C17b Portsmouth Point arrangement for wind band by Denis Wick Publication: score: Denis Wick Publications, 1998 C17c Portsmouth Point arrangement for military band by Gerrard Williams Commissioned by: the BBC for the Wireless Military Band First performance: London, BBC Studios, 14 October 1936 (broadcast on the Regional Programme); BBC Wireless Military Band, conducted by B.Walton O’Donnell Publication: unpublished C17d Portsmouth Point arrangement for piano duet by the composer (dated ‘London, November 1925’) Publication: OUP, 1927, at 6s 6d • WWE vol. 20, pp. 61–78 Bibliography: Michael Aston, WWE vol. 20 • MT 68 (July 1927), 619 (H.G.) Recordings: CD Keith Swallow and John Wilson (pianos). Cameo 2036 (2005) C17e Ballet: Portsmouth Point music arranged by Cyril Clarke; choreography by Anthony Tudor First performance: London, BBC TV Studios (Alexandra Palace), 6 September 1937 (repeated 27 September 1937); BBC Television Orchestra, conducted by William Walton. Dancers included Peggy van Praagh, Naomi Holmes, Frank Staff, and John Thorpe. Decor and costumes: Peter Bax; produced by Dallas Bower. Bibliography: Judith Chazin-Bennahum, The Ballets of Anthony Tudor (Oxford: OUP, 1994), 267 Note: It is possible that Lord Berners introduced the young Walton to the idea of writing some music based on Rowlandson’s drawing. In fact, Berners himself had originally intended to write a ballet about Portsmouth Point ‘after Rowlandson’, dating from 1919–20. This project was abandoned, with the result that only a piano solo version of this short piece and about 50 bars of orchestral score now remain. It was due to the efforts of Siegfried Sassoon that OUP agreed to publish Portsmouth Point, and to offer the composer a five-year contract; hence the dedication in the printed copy. This was finally published in June 1928, having been subjected to some revision, mainly simplification. The piano-duet version had been prepared by Walton earlier, and was in fact the first Walton work to be published by OUP, in June 1927. For perusal purposes only