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The London Philharmonic Orchestra
was saddened to hear of the death of one of its most prominent
players from the early days who went on to become one of
Britain's most notable and versatile composers.
In his memory, we include below an article by Anthony Meredith
and Paul Harris, authors of the biography, Malcolm
Arnold: Rogue Genius,
which describes Sir Malcolm's long and varied association
with the Orchestra.
Malcolm Arnold (left) and Denis Egan,
playing slide trumpets in 1946.
Sir Malcolm Arnold and the London
Philharmonic Orchestra
Malcolm Arnold experienced many important early influences.
He gained much from his highly musical mother, who first
taught him the piano, and his sister, who encouraged his
interest in jazz. At the Royal College of Music he was inspired
by Ernest Hall, his trumpet professor, Gordon Jacob, his
composition tutor, and the bohemian Constant Lambert, who
influenced more than just his musical tastes. But most significant
of all was his membership of the London Philharmonic Orchestra,
with whom as a young man he played in well over a thousand
concerts.
He first joined the Orchestra as third trumpet at the age
of nineteen in the summer of 1941. He had not finished his
course at the Royal College of Music, but it was wartime,
and he was in turmoil. He had just learnt that his Pilot
Officer brother Philip, posted missing for many months after
a raid on Berlin, had been killed. He was also at loggerheads
with his father, and the opportunity of self-sufficiency
with the London Philharmonic Orchestra was highly attractive.
As a Communist Malcolm at once felt at home in the Orchestra
which had just been reorganised on co-operative lines after
a recent financial crisis. The Orchestra's wartime, morale-boosting
schedule was a tough one, with concerts at weekends in London
and hectic touring of the provinces midweek, the venues
often including factories as well as town halls, music halls
and cinemas. Being a co-operative, the London Philharmonic
Orchestra (when Malcolm first knew it) preferred not to
have a musical director, employing instead a series of guest
conductors, several of whom were given a hard time by the
Orchestra's more boisterous personalities, with Malcolm
to the fore. His extrovert clowning, however, was complemented
by his virtuosity on the trumpet and a deep respect for
musical tradition. He was very moved to participate under
Henry Wood in the first Proms at the Albert Hall after the
bombing of Queen's Hall.
Despite the Orchestra's demanding routine Malcolm swiftly
developed as a composer. The London Philharmonic Orchestra's
chairman and first horn, Charles Gregory, ran various wind
groups, for whom Malcolm wrote several early pieces, including
the ever popular Three Shanties
and the Wind Quintet (long lost, but recently re-discovered).
In 1943, the year he was promoted to principal trumpet,
he wrote Beckus the Dandipratt,
the overture which was to bring him early fame, and the
tone poem, Larch Trees,
which the London Philharmonic Orchestra played under his
direction in the Albert Hall.
In 1944 Malcolm surprised everyone by leaving the Orchestra
to try to enlist, although he had long been a pacifist.
After an inglorious two months in the army, and a short
spell with the BBC Symphony Orchestra, Malcolm rejoined
the London Philharmonic Orchestra, working in the early
post-war years under many of the great European conductors.
He particularly admired Walter and de Sabata, but Beecham
would always remain the conductor he most revered. The London
Philharmonic Orchestra gave the first performance of Malcolm's
lst Horn Concerto in 1947 and included Beckus
the Dandipratt in many concerts. Its recording of
Beckus under van Beinum
was another important milestone. Eventually, in 1948, Malcolm
had sufficiently established himself in the film world to
give up life as an orchestral player and become a full-time
composer.
In the early 1950s, when Malcolm swiftly rose to international
prominence, he enjoyed a special relationship with the London
Philharmonic Orchestra. Adrian Boult championed Malcolm's
overture, The Smoke,
and gave the première of the first set of English
Dances, his subsequent Decca recording of both sets
proving very popular. Malcolm himself conducted the London
Philharmonic Orchestra on several occasions, giving the
first London performances of his First Symphony ('The Orchestra,'
wrote The Times, 'clearly enjoyed the symphony and played
superbly for the composer') and the Second ('A smashing
success, Arnold being called back for round after round
of applause'), as well as recording the Third. When the
Orchestra celebrated its twenty-first birthday in 1953 he
composed a three-minute Flourish,
dedicating it to Boult and the London Philharmonic Orchestra.
Thereafter their paths diverged, Malcolm becoming involved
with most of the rival orchestras, receiving important commissions
from the Philharmonia, Royal Philharmonic and the BBC. They
did re-meet for two Proms in 1966, Malcolm conducting the
London Philharmonic Orchestra in programmes which included
an idiosyncratic Brahms Third as well the première
of his own Cornish Dances,
resulting in 'an ovation lasting several minutes during
which the Prommers roared and stamped their approval'. The
relationship was also briefly revived in the 1970s with
the commission of the Philharmonic Concerto, but then came
Malcolm's breakdown and long retirement.
In 1990 and 1991 he conducted the London Philharmonic Orchestra
in memorable recordings of the Fourth Symphony (for Lyrita)
and five of his overtures (for Reference). In September
2004, the Orchestra presented a series of three events,
including a concert of orchestral music and one of brass
band music, in celebration of its long association with
the composer. The orchestral concert was recorded to provide
the music for a CD of Arnold's music which was released
earlier this year. It is a fitting tribute to the composer
and his relationship with the London Philharmonic Orchestra.
The Orchestra's CD mentioned
above encompasses a broad spectrum of Malcolm Arnold's music
taken from the Royal Festival Hall concert conducted by
Vernon Handley on 24 September 2004. It includes the Overture,
Beckus the Dandipratt, Suite: The Inn of the Sixth Happiness,
Flourish for a 21st Birthday, Symphony 6
and Philharmonic Concerto,
and is available from the London Philharmonic Orchestra
Box Office on 020 7840 4242.
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