When playing the Fantasy op.9 by Arnold I’ve always borne in mind Donald Mitchell’s biography, in which he is likened to Dickens – both were communicators of great joy and comedy, but pointedly aware of the human predicament. In introducing the Fantasy over the course of the last season I’ve often returned to these words, good material to ponder on when initially listening to his work.
As a ‘cellist in the National Children’s Orchestra of Scotland, I took part in performances of his Symphony no. 5. In the wordds of Mervin Cooke, this is music that “moved into more disconcerting aesthetic regions” than previous Symphonies – when I reflect a little more, it occurs to me that it I’ve always thought of the Fantasy op.9 as a piece that similarly displays this darker part of Arnold’s personality. Both pieces have these jarring mood swings, here angry, there utterly tender…
It’s hard not to feel insecure when publicly describing a piece in your own words (ideas so subjective being easily challenged), so I felt privileged to have a little time after a recent concert to speak to Catherine Arnold, his daughter, and to hear what he was like from someone so close to him – biographies, however intimate and well researched, often maintain too much distance…

Arnold was a complicated man, to say the least. In our conversation Catherine reminded me of an anecdote so familiar that I must have heard before, one telling of his character and typical of his behaviour. Richard Rodney Bennett, Arnold and Britten are at 10 Downing Street, having dinner with the Queen Mother. Arnold, emboldened by the fine wines of the Prime Minister, is well-watered and in a verbose mood. He leans across the table to seize Britten by the lapels: “You know, Ben, this Richard Rodney Bennett is a fucking good composer! He’s better than you!”

The good guys at Delphian Records have uploaded a few sneak peeks at my upcoming debut album with them. Some of the most tender music Arnold wrote comprises one of these excerpts. Listen to an Arietta!