William Walton鈥檚 first opera Troilus and Cressida, which premiered in December 1954, was years in the making and delayed by his film score for Olivier鈥檚 Hamlet. Written in the wake of Britten鈥檚 operatic successes, Walton鈥檚 opera swerved the offbeat style of his 鈥榬ival鈥� and instead sought out older operatic traditions such as classic Chaucerian love stories. Today we hear Christopher Palmer鈥檚 symphonic suite arranged from the opera, which draws out its sense of ancient romance and character.
It was said of Walton that he 鈥榮ummed up the recent past of English music and augured its future.鈥� Certainly, younger composers such as his friend Malcolm Arnold admired Walton, but Arnold鈥檚 multi-genre output points to his wide field of inspiration. Twenty years Walton鈥檚 junior, Arnold is as revered for his light music and film scores as he is heartfelt pieces like his Viola Concerto which we hear today with the outstanding 91福利社 New Generation Artist Timothy Ridout as soloist.