Catalogue Connection: 25202

This celebrates 50 years of the composing career of Malcolm Lipkin (1932-2017). His music is distinctive and expressive, the sound varying.

It might be a little harsh in places for some; he’s not a composer for people who dabble in a bit of nice violin music and it’s music for people who want their music to be intellectually stimulating, although on the whole it’s not ‘difficult’.

The sleeve notes say that he studied with Hungarian-British composer Matyas Seiber who instilled in him his belief that “composition is the art of including everything that is relevant and nothing that is redundant,”, and it does have a pared-down quality.

The CD opens with Prelude and Dance, written in 1987 as a tribute to Jacqueline du Pré, who had died that year. A haunting opening references her most famous performance, Elgar’s Cello Concerto, the music later getting more energetic, the piano playing rapidly under a more jagged cello. We thought the piano was representative of du Pré’s life, the cello representing her illness; the sleeve notes say it “symbolises the triumph of the human spirit over physical adversity”.

Naboth’s Vineyard for recorder, cello and harpsichord is next, and its one for listeners who like their music to speak, literally. It focuses on Jezebel, originally the stereotypical false prophet, now a woman who is no better than she ought to be. In the bible, Mr Jezebel, Ahab, wanted to buy Naboth’s vineyard but Naboth declined; Jezebel arranged for Naboth to be executed on false charges of blasphemy. The music portrays the wheedling Ahab pleading with Naboth prior to it all going wrong, the cello represents Naboth (and the prophet Elijah), the harpsichord Jezebel and the recorders Ahab.

It portrays the discussion well, though the sound is strident in places, particularly as Naboth becomes more desperate. In other places the recorder soars as Ahab presumably waxes lyrical.

Similarly descriptive is the later Clifford’s Tower, which tells the tale of 150 Jews who took refuge inside the eponymous tower, which is in York and now opposite the friendliest Hilton Hotel in the country. With no prospect of a safe escape, the Rabbi suggested a mass suicide (from the tower, not the Hilton). Like the story of Naboth, the music reflects how Lipkin imagines the mood inside the tower.

The work is cast in three sections played without a break: Into Darkness evokes the terror of the hunted and the evil of the oppressors, with echoes of Jewish music; Threnody is more sorrowful; Hymn to Peace reflects the composer’s own “plea for tolerance in a fragile world:. The sleeve notes say he completed the final bars of the work and switched n the radio to hear a news report of a mass killing in Nicaragua. It never ends.

A major piece closes the CD, the String Trio, in four movements. This is more traditional in sound, a little sombre and introspective but closing off the programme nicely.

In between the major works are several shorter pieces, including Interplay; this is for recorder, harpsichord, viol de gamba and percussion including tubular bells, the viol de gamba replaced by cello. It features ethereal recorder set to percussion, with cello, and works better than might be imagined, although after the structured dialogue of Naboth, it seems a little unfocused. The Journey is the shortest piece on the track, a posthumous tribute to composer John McCabe.

The players on this are The Nash Ensemble, John Turner, Nicholas Trygstad, Janet Simpson and David Corkhill.

Malcolm Lipkin (1932-2017) began his com­positional career in the 1950s, responding to the rhythmic and motivic developments by Bartok and Stravinsky (not unlike his older compatriot, Tippett). Of the works on this album, this can be heard most prominently in the fantastic string trio from 1964. It is a sub­stantial work of clear purpose and intensity. He rejected serialism in later years, resulting in fewer performances and leading him to self-publish his music. His sound retained aspects of neoclassicism but became more flexible and open to new ideas.

Clifford’s Tower, a chamber tone poem from 1977, is a rhapsodic retelling of an antisemitic massacre from the Middle Ages, written for wind quintet and string trio. Vio­lent, ugly sounds from the winds are matched by lyrical, sorrowful passages from the strings. It is a powerful and moving work. His humanist views come through again in the biblical Naboth’s Vineyard from 1983. A sort of aural pantomime for recorders, cello, and harpsichord, the work recounts a story of deceit, greed, and injustice through charac­teristic dialogs and interludes. The ubiqui­tous John Turner, a friend of Lipkin, plays recorder on a few other works, including the unusual and earcatching Interplay with cello, harpsichord, and percussion. Lipkin is no maverick—but his music is original and rewarding. This is a great album—the string trio alone is worth the purchase.

There has been precious little Malcolm Lipkin in the catalog, so it is good that this Divine Art release, titled Recollections, offers maximal value: a single compact disc coming in at nearly 84 minutes (just under an hour and a half in old money). Reviewing a Hyperion LP of Lipkin in Fanfare 9:6 (1986), John Ditsky found himself hankering for more. Yet there are only two entries on the Fanfare Archive in toto, the other a slip of a piece, In Memoriam John McCabe on A Garland for John McCabe (also on Divine Art, reviewed by myself in Fanfare 41:6, which shared the talents of recorder player John Turner with this disc). And irony of ironies, when this fully stocked disc does turn up, it includes a full reissue of the Hyperion LP (Clifford’s Tower, Pastorale, and String Trio). Remastering is by Paul Baily.

The Prelude and Dance of 1987 was composed as a tribute to Jacqueline du Pré, and it’s easy to hear how the grand gestures of the Prelude are influenced by her playing (the Prelude actually quotes from the work with which du Prè was most associated, the Elgar Cello Concerto). At nearly 10 minutes, this is no insubstantial piece; the “Dance” element has a wonderful sense of the motoric (almost Glass-meets-Hindemith at one stage in the piano). The idea of triumph over adversity, so poignant a part of du Pré’s life, forms part of the trajectory of the piece. Cellist Nicholas Trygstad and pianist Janet Simpson give a fabulous performance, full of life.

Written in 1982, Naboth’s Vineyard is a programmatic work based on the titular story from the Book of Kings in the Bible, a tale fueled by greed and murder. Two pairs of movements entitled “Dialogue” are separated by an “Interlude.” The God-fearing Naboth is portrayed by the muted cello, the scheming Jezebel via the harpsichord, and her husband King Ahab through three timbres of recorder (treble, tenor, and bass). The premise works so well because of Lipkin’s ability to convey that conversational element so well in music; this, plus the responsiveness of the present performance. The harpsichord is absent from the first “Dialogue” but offers sinister chords in the second, while later cello glissandos represent Naboth’s stoning (you can’t miss them; they depict not only anguish but, in their slowing, Naboth’s descent into death). The dissonant counterpoint of “Dialogue III” (the penultimate movement) is delicious, and deliciously done by the performers, too: it represents Jezebel’s celebratory dance. Only in the final “Dialogue IV” does Ahab receive any sort of justice, when he is berated by Elijah (represented by a now-unmuted cello). This is a fascinating piece; the scoring, particularly the recorder and cello elements, act as distancing agents (we are in the world of ancient myth, after all). The performance is miraculous, graphic in its depictions and superbly alive.

Scored for recorder, cello, harpsichord, and percussion, Interplay was written for the great Carl Dolmetsch to perform at London’s cherished Wigmore Hall on March 5, 1976. (Speaking of beloved, the percussionist at the premiere was James [Jimmy] Blades, who was known in my youth as something of a national treasure in England.) The original had a viola da gamba in the scoring, but the use of cello was sanctioned by the composer; the percussion used is the lovely combination of six timbrales, glockenspiel, and xylophone. The two movements contrast beautifully. It does the piece something of a disservice to report that the more active first movement is balanced by the slower second, as the first presents a variegated landscape. It also underplays the individuality of the piece; the scoring is both unique and effective. The second movement’s desolation is occasioned via the many solo lines. A memorable passage is scored for harpsichord and timbrales. Percussion is used sparingly and effectively; all credit is due to David Corkhill for his contribution in this regard. Lipkin’s scoring for recorder and blanched, high cello likewise is superbly effective and brilliantly realized by Turner and Trygstad.

For solo recorder, The Journey (2016) is a tribute to John McCabe and was premiered by the present performer in Manchester. The title refers to the journey of life, the music’s sense of onward movement being representative of this. It is quite a haunting piece, and here acts as huge contrast to the ensemble opening to Clifford’s Tower, which initiates the final part of the recital, for ensemble. Here the performer is the great Nash Ensemble. Composed in 1977 for wind quintet and string trio, the piece was inspired by a 12th-century piece of writing by William of Newbury that described the massacring of the Jewish population of the city of York, which had taken refuge in the Clifford’s Tower of the work’s title. Many committed pre-emptive suicide; the rest, including women and children, were slaughtered. Fear is graphically depicted in the first section through angular lines and disjunct rhythms; Jewish music can be heard in the musical material. After this passage (marked “into darkness”), there is a string threnody. Lipkin’s use of “frozen” chords is most effective, as is the way he prepared the ground for the horn melody that opens the “Hymn to Peace” finale. The work is tremendous, cogently structured and brilliantly scored. All credit is due to the classic line-up of the Nash Ensemble for achieving a performance that surely could not be bettered—hardly a surprise when one looks at the line-up: Gareth Hulse on oboe, Judith Pearce, flute, Michael Collins on clarinet, Marcia Crayford on violin, and Christopher Van Kampen on double bass, amongst other familiar names. A rollcall of the great and good of the UK music scene of the early to mid-1980s. The cherry on top of the cake is that the producer is Andrew Keener (having personally seen him at work on a number of occasions, I know exactly how accurate his ear is). This is the most haunting work on the disc; it is a major musical statement.

By contrast, Pastorale (composed in Finzi’s music room) for horn and strings is a deliciously evocative miniature in the English Pastoral tradition. Apparently composed in a single day, it was premiered by a young David Cripps in 1964, conducted by Christopher Finzi (Gerald Finzi’s eldest son). Here it is heard in the composer’s own arrangement for horn and string quintet, with John Pigneguy as the eloquent soloist.

Lipkin’s String Trio dates from the same period (1963–64); it boasts a taut first movement (the throbbing bass gives it an underpinning of tension, as do the staccatissimo rapidly repeated chords) that takes us into a different world. Repetition of fragments frequently creates an ominous effect (the cello figures prominently in this). At over eight minutes, the music creates a plateau of barely contained tension; when joy tries to break free, it is silenced by tremolos. The Scherzo is one of the finest pieces of writing on the disc, the dancing strings reflecting the tempo marking of Allegretto capriccioso. Playful pizzicato contrasts and teasing crescendos form a part of what seems initially a carefree landscape; but a pulsating bass against high violin sustained notes shows all is not quite so happy-go-lucky as one might have hoped (the string staccato from the Nash players is magnificent). But the “Canzona” third movement is the one that really shines with inspiration. When there is an intertwining duet for violin and viola underpinned by pizzicato cello, the effect is both hypnotic and magical. A theme and variations forms the finale, with the theme resolutely intoned by cello. The variation in fast octaves is performed with miraculous accuracy; the sheer drive of the next variation remarkable, while a rather more disembodied variation (almost like Stravinsky’s “white” music in effect, if not in harmonic language) is utterly remarkable. The booklet notes by Andrew Burn are full and knowledgeable (English-only booklet notes mean there is more space to give background). Despite the somewhat drab cover, this is a revealing portrait of a composer whose name should be better known; lovers of English music will not be disappointed.

I first listened to chamber works by British composer Malcolm Lipkin (1932-2017) while studying music in Europe in 1982. I was strongly moved by his combina­tion of traditional compositional sounds with touches of the modem. I do not remember what the works were, but this collection of seven compositions spanning 50 years of creation is fabulous and respectful.

Three remastered recordings from a 1986 Hyperion Nash Ensemble vinyl release are included. String Trio (1964) is well written with compelling fourth movement rhythms. Repeated tonal chord rhythms and strings above distant horn lines resound in Pastorale (1964), a work evoking its title’s traditional form. Clifford’s Tower (1977), commemor­ating a 12th-century York Jewish massacre, features scary jagged notes and rhythm patterns, harsh loud winds and contrasting calming held notes.

The four recent recordings contribute to Lipkin’s legacy. Prelude and Dance (1987) is his tribute to Jacqueline du Pré. Its tonal Prelude has interesting piano chordal pitch jumps and ascending cello runs. Dance is fun with subtle major/minor tonality shifts and high tinkling piano with repeated cello notes. The Journey (2016), a tribute to John McCabe, is delightfully played by John Turner on recorder, with memorable ornamental turns breaking up the colourful held notes. Naboth’s Vineyard (1982) and Interplay (1976) complete this over 80-minute long release. Repeated listening adds to my appreci­ation, as the musicians all perform with thoughtful, precise musical detail. Lipkin’s works may be slightly old-fashioned but they are memorable.

English composer Malcolm Lipkin (1932-2017) learned during his studies with Hungarian-British Matyas Seiber that a composition above all should be about the essential, with nothing redundant. Lipkin gained recognition in the 1950s and then later was sometimes seen as “old fashioned.” Nonetheless he continued to follow his muse, becoming from the latter sixties on one of the pioneers in self-publishing. As I listen to this anthology in the course of the usual repeated hearings I do not find his synthetic and ultimately original eclecticism in any way old hat, but rather refreshing in its direct straightforward musical candor. Times can change!

The recent album of his works, Recollections (Divine Art dda 25203) looks at some seven compositions in a kind of retrospective sampling and spanning of the whole of his career from some of the first successes of the ’50s to his very last pieces composed at the end of his long life.

The overall thrust of the program moves us to contemplate a sensitive, briskly lyrical non-dodecaphonic Modernist that thrives on inventive constancy and expressionist balance without veering into the High Modernist rhythmic abstractions of the more avant voices.. The music has the bark and bite of harmonic Modernity and chromatic open-field forwardness without necessarily straying into complete atonality. Or, alternately as in “Clifford’s Tower” there is a coloring with dissonance and at times a going of some distance away from a tonal center, then processing back into a center once again. This sort of thing used to be anathema for Serialists like Boulez but today we no longer find it so jarring to deviate from some kind of Modern “purity,” do we? The point is that the music convinces without belonging to a particular camp.

“Clifford’s Tower” performed by the Nash Ensemble gives us around 20 minutes of chamber ensemble adventure, vibrant expression, creative thrust. It is a work that seems ever more interesting the more one hears it. The String Trio is also especially appealing to me. Then there is “Naboth’s Vineyard,” which brings John Turner’s excellent recorder playing into a trio mix with Nicholas Trygstad on cello and Janet Simpson on harpsichord for five miniature movements that cover uniquely a past-in-present focus on things.

This is music to experience ideally without a set of preconceived expectations. It is a valuable look at an English figure of the 20th Century worthy of exploring. It makes me want to hear his orchestral music as well. All Anglophiles take note. Worth hearing.

Grego Edwards

(FIVE STARS)
Malcolm Lipkin (1932-2017) was a fine composer and this generously filled disc presents a rich selection from his chamber and instrumental output. The first four items are recent recordings for the Divine Art label. Cellist Nicholas Trygstad and pianist Janet Simpson capture the delicate blend of wistfulness and hope in Prelude and Dance (1987). The players are joined by John Turner for a gripping account of Naboth’s Vineyard, for recorder, cello and harpsichord (1982). This work carries the listener along by the sheer strength of its narrative and the humanity and palpable sense of moral outrage underpinning a passionately argued story of injustice and murder.

Interplay, for recorder, cello, harpsichord and percussion (1976) has a satisfying sense of formal balance: its two movements, the first fluent and hypnotic and the second serene and spacious, providing a natural foil for each other. In the capable hands of John Turner, The Journey, for solo recorder (2016) is a tribute to the composer John McCabe, which conveys much in its short playing time and acts as a distillation of Lipkin’s art. The final three items have been remastered from a 1985 Hyperion LP featuring members of the Nash En­semble. Clifford’s Tower, for wind quintet and string trio (1977) is a powerful and heartfelt piece marking the massacre of the Jewish population of York in the 12th century. Pastorale, for horn and string quintet (1963, arr. 1979) finds the composer at his most relaxed and lyrical. The String Trio of 1964 is a tautly argued and idiomatically written score in which every note counts and it is well served in this authentic and persuasive performance. This satisfying, carefully planned composer portrait is warmly recommended. 

There are many British ‘lost composers’ of the 20th century, several born between the two world wars, who even after an encouraging start fell out of favour, or out of fashion, in their later years. Although Malcolm Lipkin  (1932 – 2017) to some extent fits this pattern, he is fortunately not to be so described with complete accuracy.

During the fifties and sixties he enjoyed a reasonable number of performances, both orchestral and chamber music, and commissions continued to be received and met into the seventies, eightiesandbeyond. His early work was fundamentally tonal, but a turning-point came with his First Symphony Sinfonia di Roma (1958 – 1965) which emerged as atonal, if freely so and certainly not serial; the extended period of its composition suggests such a radical shift, and the mood is darker. 

The present CD’s repertoire includes three works recorded originally on and now remastered from a 1986 Hyperion LP, Lipkin’s first significant appearance on record. The major work of these three, arguably of the whole CD, is Clifford’s Tower, commemorating a massacre in 12th Century York of the city’s Jewish population. The mood is several degrees darker than that of the earlier symphony, yet lightened in the concluding Hymn to Peace and it reportedly made a deep impression at its 1980 Cheltenham Festival premiere by the Nash Ensemble, responsible also for the later recording. 

From the same source comes the short and attractive Pastorale (1964) for horn and string quintet in the composer’s reduced arrangement and the String Trio (1963/4) in four concise and well-characterised movements. Both of these works were composed at the Finzi family home at Ashmansworth.

For the remaining works we move on to the seventies and eighties, first for Interplay commissioned by Carl Dolmetsch for his ensemble: treble recorder, viola da gamba [here replaced by cello] and harpsichord, plus percussion carefully chosen and discreetly used to blend in with the rest. From the following decade comes Naboth’s Vineyard (1986) commissioned by John Turner for a similar grouping of treble, tenor and bass recorders with cello and harpsichord, each protagonist in the violent Biblical story being associated with one of the participating instruments.

The Prelude and Dance (1887) is Lipkin’s personal tribute to Jacqueline du Pré, reflective of the cellist’s courage in the face of crushing disability.

Another tribute is The Journey (2016) to John McCabe, marked Intenso, for solo recorder and almost Lipkin’s last work before his own journey ended.

Exemplary performances throughout, and an excellent overall view of the composer’s distinctive style and attributes.

When a composer is described, as in Anthony Burn’s extensive and personal booklet essay, as ‘ploughing his own furrow’ it generally means, as I know from personal experience, that he/she has become ignored and has decided to go on his own sweet way. What choice is there and what does it matter? You must be true to yourself.

This incredibly well filled CD (weighing in at over 83 minutes) has seven works, three of which were recorded in 1986 by Hyperion and formed a now deleted LP that is Clifford’s Tower, Pastoral and the String Trio. The rest of the CD has been especially recorded by friends of the composer who have a strong instinct for his language and belief in his life’s work. For example cellist Nicholas Trygstad is accompanied by Janet Simpson in Prelude and Dance, a memorable piece composed as a tribute to Jacqueline du Pré.

Another such is the indefatigable recorder player John Turner who features in Naboth’s Vineyard, Interplay and Lipkin’s last piece, the unaccompanied and gently melancholic The Journey, written in memory of John McCabe. Interplay is in two contrasting movements and was commissioned by Carl Dolmetsch. It is scored, unusually, to include harpsichord, cello (originally gamba) and a colourful array of percussion owned by the first performer, James Blades. The first piece tells the biblical narrative found in the 1st Book of Kings. Lipkin characterises the instruments to represent Naboth (cello) the scheming Jezebel (harpsichord) and Ahab (three different recorders). 

For myself I failed to discover the musical logic or drama of either piece but Clifford’s Tower is more engaging. Dating from 1977 it tells of the brutality of the murder of York’s Jews in 1190. Falling into three connected movements (Into Darkness-Threnody-Hymn of Peace) it is surely Lipkin’s most powerful work.

The pensive Pastoral is heard here in a version for horn and string quintet. Its fleeting five minutes duration casts a distinct spell.

Lastly, there is the four-movement String Trio of 1964. This is a singularly challenging format for composers. It has a sonata form opening movement a quirky Brittenesque Scherzo, an intense largo and a theme with six variations as a finale. It is a very fine work and should be well known and played regularly. Like the Pastoral the Trio was composed at the home of his close friends the Finzis in Hampshire. So, a welcome back to the catalogue for three of these fine works.

There has been precious little Malcom Lipkin in the catalog, so it is good that this Divine Art release, titled Recollections, offers maximal value: a single compact disc coming in at nearly 84 minutes (just under an hour and a half in old money). Reviewing a Hyperion LP of Lipkin in Fanfare 9:6 (1986), John Ditsky found himself hankering for more. Yet there are only two entries on the Fanfare Archive in toto, the other a slip of a piece, In Memoriam John McCabe on A Garland for John McCabe (also on Divine Art, reviewed by myself in Fanfare 41:6, which shared the talents of recorder player John Turner with this disc). And irony of ironies, when this fully stocked disc does turn up, it includes a full reissue of the Hyperion LP (Clifford’s Tower, Pastorale, and String Trio). Remastering is by Paul Baily.

The Prelude and Dance of 1987 was composed as a tribute to Jacqueline du Pré, and it’s easy to hear how the grand gestures of the Prelude are influenced by her playing (the Prelude actually quotes from the work with which du Prè was most associated, the Elgar Cello Concerto). At nearly 10 minutes, this is no insubstantial piece; the “Dance” element has a wonderful sense of the motoric (almost Glass-meets-Hindemith at one stage in the piano). The idea of triumph over adversity, so poignant a part of du Pré’s life, forms part of the trajectory of the piece. Cellist Nicholas Trygstad and pianist Janet Simpson give a fabulous performance, full of life.

Written in 1982, Naboth’s Vineyard is a programmatic work based on the titular story from the Book of Kings in the Bible, a tale fueled by greed and murder. Two pairs of movements entitled “Dialogue” are separated by an “Interlude.” The God-fearing Naboth is portrayed by the muted cello, the scheming Jezebel via the harpsichord, and her husband King Ahab through three timbres of recorder (treble, tenor, and bass). The premise works so well because of Lipkin’s ability to convey that conversational element so well in music; this, plus the responsiveness of the present performance. The harpsichord is absent from the first “Dialogue” but offers sinister chords in the second, while later cello glissandos represent Naboth’s stoning (you can’t miss them; they depict not only anguish but, in their slowing, Naboth’s descent into death). The dissonant counterpoint of “Dialogue III” (the penultimate movement) is delicious, and deliciously done by the performers, too: it represents Jezebel’s celebratory dance. Only in the final “Dialogue IV” does Ahab receive any sort of justice, when he is berated by Elijah (represented by a now-unmuted cello). This is a fascinating piece; the scoring, particularly the recorder and cello elements, act as distancing agents (we are in the world of ancient myth, after all). The performance is miraculous, graphic in its depictions and superbly alive.

Scored for recorder, cello, harpsichord, and percussion, Interplay was written for the great Carl Dolmetsch to perform at London’s cherished Wigmore Hall on March 5, 1976. (Speaking of beloved, the percussionist at the premiere was James [Jimmy] Blades, who was known in my youth as something of a national treasure in England.) The original had a viola da gamba in the scoring, but the use of cello was sanctioned by the composer; the percussion used is the lovely combination of six timbrales, glockenspiel, and xylophone. The two movements contrast beautifully. It does the piece something of a disservice to report that the more active first movement is balanced by the slower second, as the first presents a variegated landscape. It also underplays the individuality of the piece; the scoring is both unique and effective. The second movement’s desolation is occasioned via the many solo lines. A memorable passage is scored for harpsichord and timbrales. Percussion is used sparingly and effectively; all credit is due to David Corkhill for his contribution in this regard. Lipkin’s scoring for recorder and blanched, high cello likewise is superbly effective and brilliantly realized by Turner and Trygstad.

For solo recorder, The Journey (2016) is a tribute to John McCabe and was premiered by the present performer in Manchester. The title refers to the journey of life, the music’s sense of onward movement being representative of this. It is quite a haunting piece, and here acts as huge contrast to the ensemble opening to Clifford’s Tower, which initiates the final part of the recital, for ensemble. Here the performer is the great Nash Ensemble. Composed in 1977 for wind quintet and string trio, the piece was inspired by a 12th-century piece of writing by William of Newbury that described the massacring of the Jewish population of the city of York, which had taken refuge in the Clifford’s Tower of the work’s title. Many committed pre-emptive suicide; the rest, including women and children, were slaughtered. Fear is graphically depicted in the first section through angular lines and disjunct rhythms; Jewish music can be heard in the musical material. After this passage (marked “into darkness”), there is a string threnody. Lipkin’s use of “frozen” chords is most effective, as is the way he prepared the ground for the horn melody that opens the “Hymn to Peace” finale. The work is tremendous, cogently structured and brilliantly scored. All credit is due to the classic line-up of the Nash Ensemble for achieving a performance that surely could not be bettered—hardly a surprise when one looks at the line-up: Gareth Hulse on oboe, Judith Pearce, flute, Michael Collins on clarinet, Marcia Crayford on violin, and Christopher Van Kampen on double bass, amongst other familiar names. A rollcall of the great and good of the UK music scene of the early to mid-1980s. The cherry on top of the cake is that the producer is Andrew Keener (having personally seen him at work on a number of occasions, I know exactly how accurate his ear is). This is the most haunting work on the disc; it is a major musical statement.

By contrast, Pastorale (composed in Finzi’s music room) for horn and strings is a deliciously evocative miniature in the English Pastoral tradition. Apparently composed in a single day, it was premiered by a young David Cripps in 1964, conducted by Christopher Finzi (Gerald Finzi’s eldest son). Here it is heard in the composer’s own arrangement for horn and string quintet, with John Pigneguy as the eloquent soloist.

Lipkin’s String Trio dates from the same period (1963–64); it boasts a taut first movement (the throbbing bass gives it an underpinning of tension, as do the staccatissimo rapidly repeated chords) that takes us into a different world. Repetition of fragments frequently creates an ominous effect (the cello figures prominently in this). At over eight minutes, the music creates a plateau of barely contained tension; when joy tries to break free, it is silenced by tremolos. The Scherzo is one of the finest pieces of writing on the disc, the dancing strings reflecting the tempo marking of Allegretto capriccioso. Playful pizzicato contrasts and teasing crescendos form a part of what seems initially a carefree landscape; but a pulsating bass against high violin sustained notes shows all is not quite so happy-go-lucky as one might have hoped (the string staccato from the Nash players is magnificent). But the “Canzona” third movement is the one that really shines with inspiration. When there is an intertwining duet for violin and viola underpinned by pizzicato cello, the effect is both hypnotic and magical. A theme and variations forms the finale, with the theme resolutely intoned by cello. The variation in fast octaves is performed with miraculous accuracy; the sheer drive of the next variation remarkable, while a rather more disembodied variation (almost like Stravinsky’s “white” music in effect, if not in harmonic language) is utterly remarkable.

The booklet notes by Andrew Burn are full and knowledgeable (English-only booklet notes mean there is more space to give background). Despite the somewhat drab cover, this is a revealing portrait of a composer whose name should be better known; lovers of English music will not be disappointed.

The advertising blurb for this interesting ‘new’ CD of music by Malcolm Lipkin states that it represents ‘a fitting tribute to a long established and highly respected composer whose music at times was dismissed as old-fashioned for daring to employ real tunes; now it can be appreciated as thoroughly individual, proving that new music can be accessible without losing integrity.’ For details of Lipkin’s life and achievement, I direct readers to Paul Conway’s excellent obituary on these pages.

The thoughtful Prelude and Dance was written in 1987. It was written as a tribute to Jaqueline du Pré who had died on 19 October of that year. The opening ‘Prelude’ alludes to Elgar’s Cello Concerto which is forever associated with her. ‘The Dance’ that follows is affirmative and, as the composer has stated, ‘symboliz[es] the triumph of the human spirit over physical adversity.’

Forget the scriptural programme behind Malcolm Lipkin’s Naboth’s Vineyard for recorder, cello and harpsichord. This is an incredible work that does not need underpinning with a biblical story. All that is needed, is to understand this piece reflects the basic human condition of greed, jealousy, and the bearing of false witness. The structure of the piece is one of dialogues between cello, harpsichord and three different types of recorder. For those that require the ‘programme’, the cello represents Naboth and Elijah, the harpsichord the scheming Jezebel and the recorders vacillating King Ahab. I was impressed by the huge variety of timbres and musical ‘effects’ that are produced by these three instruments during this five-section work. Naboth’s Vineyard was commissioned by the present recorder soloist, John Turner, and was premiered in 1983.

Interplay was commissioned by the legendary Carl Dolmetsch for his ensemble. It was first heard at the Wigmore Hall on 5 March 1976. It is scored for recorder, harpsichord, viol de gamba and a bank of percussion including tubular bells, glockenspiel, and xylophone. Although I enjoyed this piece, I did wonder if the unusual combination of instruments detracted from its success. It almost seems as if Lipkin is trying to give each player a wee bit to do: it lacks cohesion and unity.

The shortest number on this CD is The Journey for recorder solo. It was written in 2016 as a tribute to Lipkin’s fellow Liverpudlian, John McCabe, who had died the previous year. The concept of the piece the cliché of life being an ‘excursion’. The most that can be said for the music is that it is thoughtful, and the least, that it is boring and monotonous.

I know Clifford’s Tower in York. There are great views of the Minster from the circular ramparts. Alas, there is a sinister tale associated with this iconic structure. In 1190, the worst pogrom in British history occurred here. Cutting a long story short, 150 local Jews took refuge inside the tower. With no prospect of a safe escape, the Rabbi suggested a mass suicide which subsequently took place. A few survivors did emerge under truce, only to be slaughtered by the anti-Semitic mob. Lipkin’s Clifford’s Tower, which is written for wind quintet and string trio is a masterpiece. It is ‘cast’ in three sections played without a break – these are ‘Into Darkness’, ‘Threnody’ and ‘Hymn of Peace.’ The general effect is a meditation on ‘man’s inhumanity to man’ with an optimistic, but not totally convincing conclusion. What happened in 1190, could (and does) so easily happen again. The music vacillates between being beautiful and downright depressing, which is no surprise. Lipkin has described his music as ‘a plea for tolerance in a fragile world.’

Pastorale, (c.1963) unlike Rome, was made in a day. Malcolm Lipkin was staying at the Finzi household in Ashmansworth on the Hampshire Downs. Encouraged by Gerald’s widow, Joy and his son, Christopher, he was working in the elder composer’s music room. The piece, which is devised for horn and ensemble is a ‘dark pastorale.’ The only reference to Finzi is the autumnal colourings and his sense of the transience of life. The overall impression of serenity and retrospection is rarely disturbed. It is a beautiful piece that deserves to be well-known amongst horn players.

The major event on this CD is Malcolm Lipkin’s String Trio, written as far back as 1964. Once again, this piece was written at Ashmansworth and was dedicated to Joy Finzi. This is really the only association with Gerald that this music has. If the listener is searching for exemplars, then it must be to Mátyás Seiber and Béla Bartok that they look. This is hardly surprising as Lipkin studied with the former between 1954 and 1957. There are four movements in this fascinating Trio. The opening ‘allegro con moto’ is written in a conventional and ‘well-argued’ sonata form. The Scherzo is light-hearted and witty, with lots of rhythmic interest and rapidly changing time signatures. The heart of the Trio is the ‘canzona’ with its ‘theme’ derived from material first heard in the scherzo. This is truly lovely music that is both heart-breaking and deeply introspective. The finale displays an interesting structure. It appears as a theme with variations and a coda referring to the opening movement. The first four variations are fast and fairly bounce along. The fifth is more measured. The final variation is relaxed before the movement and the Trio conclude with a coda restating the opening theme of the work with considerable panache. For me, this a splendid example of a string trio. It never flags, interest is maintained, and stylistic and formal unity is satisfied.

It should be noted that Clifford’s Tower, the Pastorale and the String Trio were recorded in 1984 by the Nash Ensemble, and released by Hyperion CDA66164, on LP in 1986. These recordings have been remastered from those originals. The performances of all these pieces are sympathetic and convincing as would be expected from these highly respected artists. The liner notes by Andrew Burn give all the information required to understand and enjoy this music. Biographical details of the composer and performers are included as well as a good collection of colour photographs of the recording sessions. The sound quality is superb.

I enjoyed this CD of varied and interesting music by Malcom Lipkin. I confess to not knowing much of his oeuvre but have discovered that much of what I have heard (this album and the Lyrita CD of the symphonies) is enjoyable and rewarding.