Lovely classics

A masterpiece by William Walton. Popular classical music.

Representative, Elysion Philharmonic Orchestrasai-kisaragi
Heisei College of Music, Composition Course. Studied composition and conducting under Keizo Ideta, piano under Chinami Kira, and arts management under Takuma Konishi. With a focus on community and music, I work to revitalize my hometown of Saga Prefecture. While performing as a double bassist with wind ensembles and orchestras across Kyushu, I participated on double bass in the “Orchestra Without Borders” orchestra camp of the professional game and anime music ensemble Eminence Orchestra, held in Matsumoto, Nagano Prefecture in September 2012. During CAPCOM’s Kyushu Tour in 2016, I not only performed as an orchestra member but also served on the production staff. I currently serve as the managing representative for the game and anime performance groups Elysion Philharmonic Orchestra (Saga Prefecture) and Fukuoka Game Music Wind Orchestra (Fukuoka Prefecture), and handle conducting, arranging, and public relations.

Sir William Walton, a composer of modern British music in the 20th century.

Not limited to pure classical music, his works—often arranged as concert suites of film scores or performed by wind bands—are frequently played, earning him tremendous support from a wide audience beyond just classical music fans.

Drawing on a variety of contemporary musical styles, his pieces are crisp, stylish, and richly expressive, yet approachable.

Here is a list of Walton’s works.

I’d be delighted if you discover just how many masterpieces there are beyond the well-known ones.

Now, please enjoy the world of William Walton!

William Walton’s masterpieces. Popular classical music (21–30)

From Violin Concerto, Movement IWilliam Walton

Mendelssohn Violin Concerto, 1st Movement – Sayaka Shoji

From Violin Concerto, Movement IWilliam Walton

From the Violin Concerto: Movement I, Andante tranquillo.

The soloist is the Japanese prodigy violinist based in the United States, Midori Goto.

Orchestra: City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra; conductor: Andris Nelsons.

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From Sonata for Strings, 1st MovementWilliam Walton

Walton: Sonata for Strings – 1. Allegro

From Sonata for Strings, 1st MovementWilliam Walton

From Sonata for Strings, Movement I: Allegro.

This is Walton’s arrangement of his String Quartet No.

2 for string orchestra.

Performed by the Rhine-Neckar Chamber Philharmonic, conducted by Thomas Kalb.

Recorded live at the Heidelberg Stadthalle.

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William Walton's masterpieces. Popular classical music (31–40)

From String Quartet No. 2, Movement IIWilliam Walton

Walton String Qt. in A Minor 2nd mvt

From String Quartet No. 2, Movement IIWilliam Walton

From String Quartet No.

2 in A Minor, Movement II: Presto.

Performed by the Meadowmount School of Music.

Violin: Douglas Kwon, Lee Sihan; Viola: Miriam Barfield; Cello: Clayton Vaughn.

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From String Quartet No. 2, Movement IIIWilliam Walton

William Walton String Quartet – Movement III (part a)

From String Quartet No. 2, Movement IIIWilliam Walton

From String Quartet No.

2 in A minor, Movement III: Lento.

Performed by the Chroma Quartet.

Violin: Jennifer Best and Christopher Takeda; Viola: Michael McClelland; Cello: Abe Feder.

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From String Quartet No. 2, Movement IVWilliam Walton

Walton String Quartet No. 2 in A Minor, Finale

From String Quartet No. 2, Movement IVWilliam Walton

From String Quartet No.

2 in A Minor, Fourth Movement: Allegro molto.

Performed by Quartet Fuoco.

Violin: Rachel Stenzel, Aidan Perreault; Viola: David Berghoff; Cello: Chris Gao.

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Johannesburg Festival OvertureWilliam Walton

NYOS Symphony Orchestra perform Johannesburg Overture

Johannesburg Festival OvertureWilliam Walton

Johannesburg Festival Overture.

Composed in 1956 for the commemorative celebration of the 70th anniversary of Johannesburg, Gauteng, South Africa.

Performed by the National Youth Orchestra of Scotland, conducted by Michael Francis.

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From the Viola Concerto, Movement II: Vivo, con molto precisoWilliam Walton

Walton Viola Concerto, 2. Vivo, e molto preciso – Jasper Snow, viola

From the Viola Concerto, Movement II: Vivo, con molto precisoWilliam Walton

From the Viola Concerto, Movement II: Vivo e molto preciso.

The soloist is Jasper Snow from Houston, Texas.

Performing with the Houston Symphony, conducted by Robert Franz.

Live performance at Jones Hall.

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In conclusion

William Walton composed across a wide range of genres, including orchestral works, ballet, opera, and film music.

The pieces introduced here are only a small selection and by no means exhaustive, but every work I’ve heard is impressive, and it’s easy to see why he is so popular.

In the world of classical music, there are cases where scores have been lost or further research reveals that a work was actually composed by someone else.

However, since Walton is relatively recent, by 2010 recordings of all his works had been released.

He was reportedly a slow writer and a perfectionist, which may be why each individual piece is of such high quality.

While it might be difficult to seek out and listen to everything, it’s quite rare in classical music to be able to hear a composer’s entire output on CD or online, so I encourage you to take on the challenge and give them a listen.

To those involved with orchestras, I hope you will continue to include his works in your repertoire.

Thank you for listening.