Chandos
Gramophone Recording of the Month

Walton: Cello Concerto; Symphony No. 1, Scapino

ModernDramatic, virtuosic, playful, triumphant

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Details

Composer
William Walton
Artist
Jonathan Aasgaard, Sinfonia of London
Format
SACD
Discs
1
Label
Chandos
Released
Nov 21, 2025
Catalog #
CHSA 5328
UPC
0095115532829

About

The First Symphony was largely inspired by the composer's tempestuous love affair with the widowed Baroness Imma von Doernberg, whom Walton met in 1929 and with whom he was living on the Continent in the early 1930s. Although the work was long in gestation, with a particular delay in the composition of the finale, the result was universally acclaimed as an outstanding success, with John Ireland commenting "unlike any other English symphony, this is in the real line of symphonic tradition. It is simply colossal, grand, original, and moving to the emotions to the most extreme degree... It has established you as the most vital and original genius in Europe". Walton's star was in the descendent through the 1950's, with a poor reception to his opera Troilus & Cressida, and equally negative comments for his Cello Concerto, which was widely considered to be embarrassingly old-fashioned in it's essentially neo-romantic idiom. Commissioned by Gregor Piatigorsky (at the suggestion of Heifetz), the work was first performed in Boston under Charles Munch in January 1957, with the UK premiere under Sir Malcolm Sargent following a month later. Walton was unable to attend that concert as he was hospitalised following a car accident on the journey to London from his home in Italy. Now widely perceived as one of Walton's most important late scores, the work is performed here by Sinfonia of London's principal cellist Jonathan Aasgaard.

Critic reviews

  • “Jonathan Aasgaard is a beautifully lyrical soloist in the concerto, and throughout John Wilson an absolute master of this music, details articulated with pin-point precision.”

    Gramophone, Recording of the month, November 2025

  • “In John Wilson’s hands, Walton’s Ravelian timbres shimmer and glisten… tour-de-force of orchestral brilliance… Wilson offering crystal-clear articulation, solo figures perfectly etched from the stellar soloists in the Sinfonia of London.”

    BBC Music Magazine, Concerto choice, December 2025

Show 2 more reviews
  • “John Wilson inspires the Sinfonia of London to profound, opulent playing that allows the work’s energy to burst forth.”

    Pizzicato, 5 stars, November 2025

  • “Conductor John Wilson’s rumbustious reading and cellist Jonathan Aasgaard’s angst-ridden romantic sweep bring out the brooding tension and snarling climaxes [...] …a perfect example of how conductor John Wilson’s vital, yet penetrating, approach combines with the orchestra’s trademark lustre to…”

    The Guardian, 5 stars, October 2025

Tracklist 8 tracks

  1. 1 Scapino, comedy overture 08:06
    Track
    1
    Title
    Scapino, comedy overture
    Duration
    08:06
    Composer
    William Walton
    Ensemble
    Sinfonia of London
    Conductor
    John Wilson
  2. 2 I. Moderato 07:31
    Track
    2
    Title
    I. Moderato
    Duration
    07:31
    Composer
    William Walton
    Performer
    Jonathan Aasgaard
    Ensemble
    Sinfonia of London
    Conductor
    John Wilson
  3. 3 II. Allegro appassionato 06:21
    Track
    3
    Title
    II. Allegro appassionato
    Duration
    06:21
    Composer
    William Walton
    Performer
    Jonathan Aasgaard
    Ensemble
    Sinfonia of London
    Conductor
    John Wilson
  4. 4 III. Tema ed improvvisazioni 13:33
    Track
    4
    Title
    III. Tema ed improvvisazioni
    Duration
    13:33
    Composer
    William Walton
    Performer
    Jonathan Aasgaard
    Ensemble
    Sinfonia of London
    Conductor
    John Wilson
  5. 5 I. Allegro assai 13:35
    Track
    5
    Title
    I. Allegro assai
    Duration
    13:35
    Composer
    William Walton
    Ensemble
    Sinfonia of London
    Conductor
    John Wilson
  6. 6 II. Presto con malizia 06:19
    Track
    6
    Title
    II. Presto con malizia
    Duration
    06:19
    Composer
    William Walton
    Ensemble
    Sinfonia of London
    Conductor
    John Wilson
  7. 7 III. Andante con malinconia 09:36
    Track
    7
    Title
    III. Andante con malinconia
    Duration
    09:36
    Composer
    William Walton
    Ensemble
    Sinfonia of London
    Conductor
    John Wilson
  8. 8 IV. Maestoso - Allegro, brioso ed ardentemente 11:34
    Track
    8
    Title
    IV. Maestoso - Allegro, brioso ed ardentemente
    Duration
    11:34
    Composer
    William Walton
    Ensemble
    Sinfonia of London
    Conductor
    John Wilson