Cliffe Violin Concerto

[Alan Howe]

The Violin Concerto in D minor (1896) by Frederic Cliffe was broadcast this afternoon on BBC Radio 3. I can report that it sounded as I magnificent as when I first heard it performed under Chris Fifield (who re-discovered the piece) in May 2007.

The idiom is somewhere between Stanford and Elgar - it is superbly written for the violin, with magnificent, memorable themes in all three movements and wonderful writing for the orchestra too. The horn-writing in particular may put you in mind of Elgar.

Let's hope that Dutton - or someone - will be bringing out a recording of this absolutely sublime concerto.

[Mark Thomas]

I've listened to it three times since the broadcast and don't disagree with a word that Alan has said. This is a major work. The solo part is taxingly fiendish in places, but there's also a rhapsodic feel in both the big opening movement and the slow movement, which is far removed from shallow fireworks. As Alan says, the orchestration is superb and the thematic material grabs you at first hearing.  If you weren't able to catch or record the broadcast then keep your fingers crossed for the release on CD which I'm sure will follow.

How good it would be if Chris could complete his work on sewing together the extant parts of the Second Symphony and then we'd have an even completer picture of this fine English composer, woefully neglected even in his own lifetime.

[Peter1953]

I'm very eager to hear Cliffe's Violin Concerto after reading your enthusiastic comments, Alan and Mark! We can only hope that we don't have to wait too long for a release.
I've never heard anything before from this British composer. Some interesting information can be read at www.musicweb-international.com/cliffe/index.htm. Stimulated by all of this I've just ordered the Sterling disc with Cliffe's 1st Symphony.

[Mark Thomas]

You won't be disappointed.

[Peter1953]

Listening to Cliffe's 1st Symphony for the first time is quite a musical happening. An opus 1, mind you. The 3rd movement, called a Ballade, is a beautiful, lyrical piece of music, and the coda of the final movement is simply grandiose. What a wonderful discovery.

How I long to hear his 2nd Symphony and VC... 

[Peter1953]

Sometimes I just don't understand things. How is it possible that the Violin Concerto by Frederic Cliffe is so neglected? That it wasn't recorded and released in the last century by every self-respecting label? That the world's top violinists (thanks, Jim) didn't compete with eachother to give the best performance? That we never heard it in concert halls, e.g. performed by one of the greatest violinists alive, Itzhak Perlman, or performed by the young and beautiful Janine Jansen? Well, there must be some curious reasons, but I cannot understand why. What lacks?
It is without hesitation that I dare to say that Cliffe's VC has to be ranked amongst the greatest romantic violin concertos ever written. It has everything you can expect from a powerful, majestic concerto: superior writing for the orchestra, both virtuoso and lyrical writing for the violin, gorgeous and impressive themes full of grandeur and depth, a thrilling development of the music, a perfect balance between orchestra and violin, well, I can only write in superlatives.
Over the past week I've listened to this brilliant work over a dozen times, and my admiration is growing more and more. Thanks very much, Alan.

[Alan Howe]

I thoroughly agree. This was my review of the first performance on 19th May 2007, published in the Independent...

Lambeth Orchestra/Christopher Fifield, with Philippe Graffin, violin
St Luke's Church
West Norwood  *****

Conductor Christopher Fifield is well known for his exploration of neglected, usually Romantic-era repertoire. Some six years ago he presented the first performance in over eighty years of the Symphony No.1 by Yorkshire-born composer Frederic Cliffe (1857-1931) - a work which he then went on to record in an outstanding performance for the Swedish label Sterling. Saturday's concert at St Luke's, West Norwood was therefore another feather in an already well-stocked cap. Fifield, conducting the well-drilled Lambeth Orchestra, presented a programme containing one familiar item, Arnold Bax's tone poem Tintagel, a virtually unplayed symphony, the third by Rutland Boughton, and a modern-day premiere: the Violin Concerto in D minor by the same Frederic Cliffe. 
   Eagle-eyed readers will no doubt spot that Cliffe's dates make him an almost exact contemporary of Edward Elgar; and his Violin Concerto, first performed in 1896, reveals a composer on the brink of an Elgarian richness and exuberance of expression. To be sure the piece is on a more modest scale than Elgar's or even Brahms' concerto, its three movements spanning approximately thirty minutes. However, the pointers forward are unmistakable (Elgar's concerto dates from a decade later).
   To attract a soloist of the calibre of French violinist Philippe Graffin was quite a coup. Graffin has already demonstrated a flair for this corner of the repertoire, having recently recorded the Elgar Violin Concerto, and here too in the Cliffe he showcased his love for a work that wears its heart on its sleeve. Structured along classical lines, it opens with a fifteen minute-long Allegro moderato of wondrous variety, from bold, dramatic gestures to meltingly melodious passages such as the second subject. Then follows an Andante featuring equally heart-stopping moments, exquisitely played by Graffin, and a memorable contribution from the cor anglais. After a brief, quiet recitative-like opening, the finale, Allegro energico, looks eastwards with its distinctly gypsy-style main theme and bold rhythms. Here Cliffe positions himself in clear line of descent from the great concerti of Bruch (No.1) and Brahms.
   The audience, enjoying the benefits of the spacious acoustic of St Luke's church, listened with rapt attention throughout. This writer too was transfixed by the sheer beauty of Cliffe's writing for the orchestra and the soaring lines of the solo part. It was hard to credit that this was a work which had lain unperformed for over a century.
   Fifield had clearly inspired his orchestra to match the superlative playing of Philippe Graffin. (It should be remembered that the conductor was actually responsible for the work of resurrecting and reconstructing the concerto). To him, his orchestra and M. Graffin we owe a sincere vote of thanks for revealing to us a neglected British masterpiece.   

[Gareth Vaughan]

Chris Fifield told me last year that Sterling had plans to record this magnificent concerto with Graffin and Chris conducting, though I don't know what orchestra will be used. He was looking for a suitable coupling and had thought about either the Holbrooke "Grasshopper" or the VC by Frederic d'Erlanger.
How far this project has advanced, however, I am unaware.

[Alan Howe]

The problem is that Graffin has decided to perform the piece with another conductor (as at the EMF this year) - so it seems highly likely that another label will pick up the Cliffe VC. Best guess - Dutton.

[Gareth Vaughan]

If that's the case, it's a shame for Chris, who did all the hard work in preparing the work for performance.

[JimL]

Or a vindication of his efforts that others have found his performing edition worthy of addition to their repertoires. 

[Alan Howe]

Above all, it's a shame for Chris, who really should have the right - and honour - to be the first to record the piece.

[JimL]

Well, it does make you wonder what Graffin was thinking.  Maybe Dutton (or whoever) came to him with a better deal, or Sterling, for reasons of their own, declined to do the piece, forcing his hand.

[Gareth Vaughan]

Above all, it's a shame for Chris, who really should have the right - and honour - to be the first to record the piece.

Hear! Hear!
The rest is fruitless speculation.

[Alan Howe]

Jim, rest assured that you are way off. I do know the full story, but this is simply too public a place to say any more.