The Society’s “Centenary” page (https://www.malcolmarnoldsociety.co.uk/centenary/) lists a fair number of events, but it’s fair to say that these are practically all amateur, provincial or “foreign”. I intend no disparagement by that – it has ever been so; but the real yardstick remains the BBC, which for the last 50 years or so has only minimally allowed his music any exposure beyond the “provincial” or, at best, paid it lip-service in recording-based radio programmes, and sadly this year’s Proms tended to reinforce that impression.
For, while both Mozart and Stravinsky (it being the 50th. anniversary of the latter’s death) were both represented, inter alia, by a full concert of symphonies, Arnold had not even a concert to himself, making the performances of his Fifth Symphony, Variations on a Theme by Ruth Gipps and a few snippets of film music seem as grudging as ever (co-centenarian Gipps fared even less well, represented only by her Second Symphony and indirectly by the said “theme”!). It’s also worth noting that, including this year, the only Arnold symphonies to have received Proms performances are numbers 2, 3, 5 and 6, and only the Second has been played more than once.
Many people, I’m sure, find this ingrained attitude increasingly incomprehensible, especially when seen in the light of the occasional relatively high-profile event, such as the LPO/Handley all-Arnold concert at the RFH in 2004, the recording of which has been released on CD (links to reviews listed below). This was proof (which appears to be needed), that Arnold not only can fill a “national” concert hall to the brim but also have the audience assailing the rafters with their approbation.
I would dearly love to know the truth of this curious, long-running state of affairs, though I’m not going to hold my breath. For now, as my small contribution to Arnold’s centennial “festivities”, may I point you to two articles, one written for Arnold’s 80th. birthday and the other (quite coincidentally) a complement to Rob Barnett’s splendid Arnold obituary. In both can be discerned the same puzzlement; comparing these with the present-day situation, it doesn’t feel as though anything much has changed – does it?
http://www.musicweb-international.com/arnold/serotsky80th.htm
http://www.musicweb-international.com/classrev/2006/Oct06/Arnold_obitPS.htm
RFH 2004 reviews:
http://www.musicweb-international.com/classrev/2006/Dec06/Arnold6_LPO0013.htm
http://www.musicweb-international.com/SandH/2004/May-Aug04/Arnold_249.htm
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