Sibelius Symphony No 6 LSO Anthony Collins

This track comes from Beulah's 4 disc set 14PD8 COLLINS SIBELIUS. Avialable in all good record stores or direct from Beulah at
http://collins.eavb.co.uk/

" A Sibelius cycle that is yet to be bettered". - Sunday Telegraph (Aug 30th 2009)


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Anthony Collins, like van Beinum, gained his early orchestral experience was in the ranks of the violas. He joined the Hastings Municipal Orchestra aged seventeen.

From Hastings Collins went to serve in the British Army during the 1914-18 War. In 1920 he graduated to the Royal College of Music in London to study violin with Serge Rivarde and composition with Gustav Holst.

Collins soon became not only leader of the London Symphony Orchestra violas but a director of this self governing orchestra during a period of turmoil for the London orchestras.

In 1934 Muir Mathieson invited Arthur Bliss to compose for Alexander Korda's film of H.G. Wells' Things to Come. Bliss wrote a score for full orchestra and Mathieson engaged the London Symphony Orchestra to record it. The demands of the film company put pressure on the orchestra to improve their standard of playing. Collins' break came two years later when Herbert Wilcocks invited him to compose the music for his epic film on the life of Queen VictoriaVictoria the Great Collins found himself conducting his former colleagues for this film and its sequel the following year Sixty Glorious Years ;

In 1939 Collins found himself at the RKO studios in Los Angeles where he composed and conducted for the next six years. After the War he travelled between engagements in Los Angeles and London, giving concerts on both sides of the Atlantic often featuring British music.

After Mozart, Elgar and Delius were the composers Collins conducted frequently. His public conducting debut after leaving the London Symphony Orchestra in 1936 included Elgar's First Symphony which received ecstatic notices from the London critics. Like the composer himself, Collins favoured an athletic rather than overly romantic approach to Elgar¹s music. Collins saw himself as a composer who conducted. Seen through such a perspective is the reason the performances on this disc are so fresh.

Another Collins characteristic is to give a recorded performance the atmosphere of a live concert performance. No doubt his years in Hollywood, working with first class musicians and often sight reading new music contributed to his recording technique. The same fresh sound occurs in Collins¹ Delius recordings (available on Dutton CD LXT2603) and no doubt Victor Olof, Collins' old friend from his London days, as as Decca's senior classical music producer knew what would result from inviting inviting Collins to record the music of Elgar.

Category:

Music

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• classical