Chandos turns the completion of its Malcolm Arnold symphony cycle to Rumon Gamba instead of Richard Hickox, not that it matters terribly. These are fine performances, as might be expected from these forces, but they are not superior to Naxos’ recent recording of Symphonies 7 and 8 from Andrew Penny with the National Symphony Orchestra of Ireland. In particular, Penny’s slightly slower tempos in the outer movements of the Seventh Symphony and the finale of No. 8 permit a much firmer rhythmic articulation of the melodic lines and allow more time for Arnold’s characteristically brilliant touches of orchestration to register with maximum impact. On the other hand, Gamba is marginally slower than Penny in the problematic finale of No. 9, not a desirable thing at all, but he’s excellent with the rest of the symphony. Jennifer Galloway also turns in a wholly delightful performance of the brief and catchy Oboe Concerto.
Chandos’ recording upholds the high standards of the house, but again, in comparison to Naxos, you have to ask whether this type of sound best serves the music. The BBC Philharmonic plays with gusto, but the massive climaxes featuring blazing horns and thudding bass drum purchase their impact at the expense of textural clarity, particularly at Gamba’s rapid tempos. I can well imagine some audiophile types cranking this up to give their systems a workout, impress their friends, and bother their neighbors. But when I want to hear Arnold’s symphonies in sound that’s both excellent in and of itself as well as sympathetic to each work’s unique instrumental color, it is to Naxos and Penny that I will still turn. It’s amazing, though, both how spoiled for choice we are, and how lucky that the best versions as often as not turn out to be the least expensive.
