A delightful companion to our earlier disc (SOMMCD 023) of Constant Lambert’s Last Recordings with the Philharmonia Orchestra. Here he is with the Sadler’s Wells Orchestra in a programme which includes Meyerbeer’s Les Patineurs (arr. Lambert), William Boyce’s The Prospect before us (arr. Lambert) as well as two works which appear on CD for the first time — Tchaikovsky’s The Sleeping Princess and Rossini’s Ballet Music from William Tell.
Sadler’s Wells Orchestra
Constant Lambert – Conductor
A delightful companion to our earlier disc (SOMMCD 023) of Constant Lambert’s Last Recordings with the Philharmonia Orchestra, in which he conducted favourite music from Waldteufel, Suppé, Chabrier and the Ballet Suite from Walton’s Façade.
Although by the age of 25 Lambert had become known as a successful composer (the Piano Concerto (1924), Piano Sonata (1928), his ballet Romeo & Juliet commissioned and staged by the Ballets Russes (1927), the Rio Grande (1929) and Summer’s Last Will & Testament (1936) are some notable instances) it wasn’t until the late 1930s that Lambert began building a reputation as a conductor, first through the Camargo Society and then in the form of the Vic-Wells Company (later Sadler’s Wells, now the Royal Ballet) which consisted of its founder Ninette de Valois, choreographer Frederick Ashton and Constant Lambert as musical director. Lambert soon became a vital figure. He was not only a good musician, a superlative conductor and a very fine composer but he was also a man of very wide-ranging culture.
This new release includes:
Meyerbeer’s Les Patineurs (arr. Lambert), William Boyce’s The Prospect before us (arr. Lambert) as well as two works which appear on CD for the first time – Tchaikovsky’s The Sleeping Princess and Rossini’s Ballet Music from William Tell.
On This Recording
- The Sleeping Beauty: Introduction
- The Sleeping Beauty: Act I: The Fairy Carabosse
- The Sleeping Beauty: Act I: Lilac Fairy Waltz
- The Sleeping Beauty: Prologue The Christening: Pas de six: III. Variation 1-6: The 6 Fairies
- The Sleeping Beauty: Act I The Spell: Valse
- The Sleeping Beauty: Act I: Pas d'action: Adagio, "Rose Adagio"
- The Sleeping Beauty: Act III The Wedding: Pas de caractere (Puss-in-Boots and the White Cat)
- The Sleeping Beauty: Act III The Wedding: Pas de quatre: V. Variation IV, The Diamond Fairy - III. Variation II, The Silver Fairy
- The Sleeping Beauty: Act III: Mazurka - Apotheosis
- Les patineurs: Entree
- Les patineurs: Pas de Patineurs
- Les patineurs: Pas de deux
- Les patineurs: Pas de trois
- The Prospect before Us: I. The Rehearsal
- The Prospect before Us: II. Fire Scene
- The Prospect before Us: III. The Lawyers
- The Prospect before Us: IV. The Urchins
- The Prospect before Us: V. Ballet Scene
- The Prospect before Us: VI. Street Scene
- The Prospect before Us: VII. Finale
- Guillaume Tell (William Tell), Act I: Overture: Guillaume Tell (William Tell) (excerpt)