Ashton Cello Sonatas from Toccata

[Greg K]

MusicWeb's reviewer (Nick Barnard) of Toccata's Ashton cello music CD was decidedly unimpressed, - and even rather dismissive.  Would any enthusiasts here care to intelligently rebut his impressions/reflections?  I'm just a bit more wary now than after reading all the extravagent praise, - though will ultimately, of course, decide for myself.

[Alan Howe]

The truth, I think, is somewhere between the two extremes. I'm not (yet) convinced that Ashton is one of British music's best-kept secrets (as the admirable Toccata CD suggests): he is a very fluent and attractive composer, but I do wonder sometimes whether it's all a bit 'samey'. Often there is a lot going on, but I don't find the themes as memorable as, say, Parry's or Stanford's. On the other hand, it's clearly extremely well-written music of considerable lyrical beauty and impeccable craftsmanship. But nothing has really 'grabbed me' as yet - unlike Percy Sherwood's cello sonatas on another Toccata CD. Of course, it could be me...

[jerfilm]

Again, I'm with you, Alan.  I've listened to it more than once and while it's a pleasant enough listen, I have a hard time with the melodies.   Lots going on, as you say, but it just doesn't seem to get anywhere.   But as always, I'm so glad to have the opportunity to sample his music.  And one shouldn't probably generalize to all of his work based on one piece.....

Jerry

[Alan Howe]

In the first movement of the 2nd Cello Sonata, for example, it sounds as though the composer is enjoying composing for the sake of composing, but there's little sense of of contrast or repose. It's almost like a romantic version of a baroque composition - the pace never lets up, the rhythmic figurations are repeated over and over, etc. One is swept along to a certain extent, but it is actually quite tiring to listen to - and, unless one really concentrates, it's easy to feel lost. This is predominantly music for the head rather than the heart, it seems to me. The slow movement also feels very busy a lot of the time - there are some striking passages, but nothing really sticks in the mind. Again, it's all a bit relentless, frankly speaking. The finale is in much the same vein - a lot of fine note-spinning, but with very little in the way of real contrast (especially in terms of dynamics). Like the MusicWeb reviewer I want to like this, but, my goodness, it's hard work to listen to...

No, as I said before, this isn't a patch on Percy Sherwood, Now there's a composer with rather more to say within a basically conservative style.

[Greg K]

Actually, Centaur have pipped Toccata to the post with this CD which features Ashton's Second Cello Sonata. A fine work IMHO.

Mark's on record as considering Ashton's 2nd Cello Sonata "a fine work".

Given Alan's apparently middling and declining regard for the piece, and the fact that he and Mark typically move in lockstep together, I wonder if Mark would still affirm his initial unqualified judgement about Ashton's Sonata, or might have developed reservations of his own?

Combine with Jerry's & MusicWeb's relative indifference weighing too against Peter's superlatives,
if Mark should express some hedging now, this work might fall away for me as an acquisition prospect right into neverland.

[Alan Howe]

I'd still buy the CD. Ashton is clearly a composer of substance and I for one will be purchasing any subsequent CD of his music if and when it appears.

[Mark Thomas]

Greg, I haven't listened to Ashton's 2nd Cello Sonata in a month or so and it's the earlier performance on Centaur which I was writing about, not the Toccata one. However, Toccata's Martin Anderson himself said to me that he felt that the Centaur performance was the more driven of the two and that may account for he difference of opinion between Alan and me on the work's merits, always assuming that he is judging it on the Toccata performance. The Centaur performance is certainly less rhapsodic than the Toccata one and I suspect that the music benefits from the extra sense of momentum. I would say, though, that I too don't find the Sonata particularly distinguished melodically, but that isn't everything.

As for us "always moving in lockstep together", you make it sound like some sort of musical three-legged race! Maybe this is one occasion when we are breaking our strides?