This second volume in Naxos’ Stanford symphony cycle is very well played and recorded. David Lloyd-Jones leads with a firm hand and finds about as much vitality in the Second Symphony’s opening Allegro appassionato and the Fifth’s closing Allegro molto as the music can take. The problem is that it won’t take that much. Stanford’s symphonies are tired, derivative works that only perk up in the occasional scherzo (Second Symphony) or andante, where the tunes are nice. But as a composer in the sonata style, he was hopeless.
The Fifth Symphony, for example, has the following scheme for its first three movements: Allegro moderato, Allegretto grazioso, Andante molto tranquillo. Does that look like a recipe for symphonic drama to you? By the time we get to the closing Allegro molto, which goes on for far too long, the cause has long been lost. The Second Symphony, subtitled “Elegiac” for some reason or other, has a more effective scheme of contrasts, but it’s just as musically unmemorable. It’s a shame really, because the music is obviously serious and well-made–but boring is as boring sounds, and no amount of expertise in performance will change that. However, I am fully aware that some listeners will disagree, and if you do, then I can recommend this disc without qualms.
