MusicWeb CD reviews for Saturday June 9th http://www.musicweb.uk.net/classrev/2001/July01/July01_1.htm An All-British weekend highlighted by the important release of the John Veale Violin Concerto Malcolm ARNOLD (b.1921) The British Music Collection Guitar Concerto Eduardo Fernandez (guitar)/ECO/Barry Wordsworth English Dances LPO/Boult Symphony for Brass Instruments Philip Jones Brass Ensemble/Howard Snell Brass Quintet Philip Jones Brass Ensemble/Philip Jones rec: 1954 (English Dances); 1970 (Quintet); 1979 (Symphony); 1990 (Concerto). DECCA 468-302-2 [75.03] [RB] This is a coupling which, while not dazzlingly perfect, offers intriguing contrast aplenty. The Guitar Concerto is the easy winner Arnold BAX (1883-1953) London Pageant (1937) Concertante for cor anglais, clarinet, horn and orchestra (1948-9) Suite from Tamara (1911) Cathaleen-ni-Hoolihan (1903) Gillian Callow (cor anglais); John Bradbury (clarinet); Jonathan Goodall (French horn) BBC Philharmonic Orchestra/Martyn Brabbins rec Studio 7, BBC, Manchester, 17 May 23 June 2000 DDD CHANDOS CHAN 9879 [74.33] [RB] A warm and well imagined collection with the everyone up to their highest standards. Sir Arthur BLISS The Film Music of Sir Arthur Bliss 1. Welcome the Queen. 2. Things to Come Concert Suite arranged and reconstructed by Philip Lane. 3. The Royal Palaces Suite. 4. Caesar and Cleopatra Suite from the incidental film music edited and arranged by Giles Easterbrook and Malcolm Binney. 5. War in the Air Theme. Rumon Gamba conducting the BBC Philharmonic Chandos CHAN 9896 [73:11] [HC] BBC Philharmonic play with verve, assurance and enjoyment. A magnificent addition to the expanding CHANDOS Movies Series. John VEALE Violin Concerto Benjamin BRITTEN Violin Concerto. Lydia Mordkovitch/BBC Symphony Orchestra/Richard Hickox rec 1999? (DDD)CHANDOS CHAN 9910 [69.57] [DW] Apart from the Britten, beautifully played and executed though it is, this is the 'disc of the year' It sets a standard of sound quality and performance that will hardly be beaten. James WILSON (b1922) Orchestral Works. Menorah (Viola Concerto), Op. 122* [24.54] Concertino, Op. 37 [12.38] Pearl and Unicorn (Violin Concerto), Op. 20 [26.50] * Constantin Zanidache (vla) ** Alan Smale (vln) National Symphony Orchestra of Ireland conducted by Colman Pearce Recorded, April 1996 in the National Concert hall, Dublin MARCO POLO 8. 225027 [65.40] [JQ] Despite some atmospheric and intriguing scoring I must confess that I was not greatly attracted to James Wilson's music, still less moved by it. THEN AGAIN: BRITISH PIANO MUSIC OF THE '80s AND '90s Colin TOUCHIN (b.1953) : Sonatella (1990) Christopher BEST (b.1958): Then Again Robert RAMSKILL (b.1950): Jazz Sonatina (1985) Julian HELLABY (b.1956): Medley on Jazz Standards Julian Hellaby (piano) Recorded Warwick 1998 ASC CS CD39 [c. 65.00] [HC] Four composers who do not shy away from writing entertaining music in an accessible, often jazzy idiom. BOOK REVIEW MASSENET - A Chronicle of his Life and Times by Demar Irvine Amadeus Press; 398 pages; paperback. First published in 1994. ISBN 1-57467-024-7 $22.95 This important book languished in an unpublished special typewritten edition in American libraries from 1974 until the author of the Foreword, Reinhard G. Pauly, discovered it while investigating the existence of an English version of Massenet's memoirs, Mes Souvenirs. AND Arthur Butterworth Writes: The Amateur Orchestra And advance details: EMI ENCORE A new budget label is coming Len Mullenger www.musicweb.uk.net