Who says there is no fun in Russia? Cinema was seen as an art form from early days and most noted composers wrote for it, usually without laziness or lack of rigor. In Britain, music for films was more hit and miss but Walton took it very seriously, as did his friend Vaughan Williams. Britten's earliest important pieces were often for the cinema but for documentaries. Britten had wanted to do more film music but his short life was crammed with other commitments. Walton was a confidante of Britten during some anxious times. The idea of a concert showing relevant film extracts is something we Brits should consider, especially as Walton in particular had a gift for it. Jurowski's grandfather was a noted director and film composer so, at this Moscow concert, he was following a family tradition. Also, as famous conductor of British orchestras, Jurowski became a notable conductor of British and some American music alongside some deep dives into lesser known works by Prokofiev and Shostakovich, especially ballets and music not easily fitting into 'categories' He did this mainly with the LPO. The Walton Henry V suite is always marvelous but Jurowski conducts it as the composer did when supervising recording for the film. The scene in which Henry V and Kate gaze over ruined vineyards (using an Auvergne song morphing into a slightly stilted courtly dance) is just so plain RIGHT. It fits the Shakespeare play perfectly. Then, the double fugue built around the Agincourt Carol melody is a tour de force and this conductor and superb musicians have a thoroughly good time, even though the music is demanding. On the whole, very special.
This comes from a concert given in the Tchaikovsky Concert Hall, Moscow, in 2015. The programme also included works by Korngold, Bartok, Barber and Rachmaninoff, played by the Russian State Academic Symphony Orchestra, and it was introduced by the conductor.
