I think there is not much to add in this thread except that I just bought
the second cpo release with the syms.  1 and 4.  This is - as already
the first disc with syms.  2,3 and 5 - quite essential British 20th cent.
music (these syms.  date from 1953, 1957, 1960, 1962 and 1964, respetively)
- perfectly played and recorded by the way!  As Tam mentioned the first
is a pretty rough and tumultous work (the first performance of which by
Hermann Scherchen made Searle quite popular amongst Europes avantgardists
at that time) whereas the 4th is a much more difficult and condensed work
maybe his most dodecaphonic sounding piece.  Despite the fact that Searle
spent some 5 months with Webern his music sounds more like Berg or late
Schoenberg, somehow with a distinct romantic touch (as Robert already
mentioned).  Nice stuff!

Achim Breiling