Walton: Violin Concerto, Portsmouth Point, Suite from Troilus & Cressida

Featuring

John Wilson
Charlie Lovell-Jones
Sinfonia of London
Sir William Walton

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Composition History

Walton's Overture Portsmouth Point was inspired by an 1814 etching by English caricaturist Thomas Rowlandson, depicting a bustling harbour scene.

Composition History

Walton's wealthy lover, Alice Wimborne, who was 22 years his senior, encouraged him to focus on the Violin Concerto over more lucrative film-score commissions.

Composition History

The premiere of the Violin Concerto was delayed by the outbreak of World War Two, during which Walton drove ambulances for the Air Raid Precautions service in the UK.

Recording & Production

This recording was made in Church of St Augustine, Kilburn, London, with the Symphonic Suite from 'Troilus and Cressida' recorded in January 2024 and other works in July 2024.

Composition History

The Violin Concerto was commissioned by the great Russian-American violinist Jascha Heifetz, who met Walton at a lunch in London in 1936.

Composer Biography

William Walton, the composer, was considered a precocious enfant terrible of modern British music at 22, following the success of his jazzy 'entertainment' Façade.

Compositional Technique

The Overture Portsmouth Point incorporates jaunty quasi-hornpipe melodies, syncopations, and metrical dislocations, influenced by Stravinsky and jazz, and even the Catalan sardana dance.