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ALAN RAWSTHORNE
(1905-1971)

Born in Haslingden, Lancashire. Studied at the Royal Manchester College of Music with Frank Merrick (1886-1981, composed a Symphony in D minor in 1912) and Carl Fuchs. He held various teaching posts but was able to devote most of his energies to composition producing a large body of works ranging from chamber music to film scores. His other major concert pieces for orchestra are 3 Symphonies, Symphonic Studies and Divertimento.

Piano Concerto No. 1 (1942)

Malcolm Binns (piano)/Nicholas Braithwaite/London Symphony Orchestra
( + Piano Concerto No. 2, Symphonic Studies, Street Corner Overture)
LYRITA SRCD.255 (2007)
(original LP release: LYRITA SRCS.101) (1979)

Jane Coop (piano)/Mario Bernardi/CBC Symphony Orchestra
( + Finzi: Eclogue, Britten: Piano Concerto and Ireland: Legend)
CBC SM 5208 (2001)

Peter Donohoe (piano)/Takuo Yuasa/Ulster Orchestra
( + Piano Concerto No. 2 and Improvisations on a theme by Constant Lambert)
NAXOS 8.555959 (2003)

Moura Lympany (piano)/Herbert Menges/Philharmonia Orchestra
( + Piano Concerto No. 2, Practical Cats and Bagatelles)
EMI CDM 5-66935-2 (1998)
(original LP release: HMV CLP1118) (1957)

Geoffrey Tozer (piano)/Marius Bamert/London Philharmonic Orchestra
( + Piano Concerto No. 2 and 2 Piano Concerto)
CHANDOS CLASSICS CHAN 10339 (2007)
(original CD release: CHANDOS CHAN 9125) (1993)

Piano Concerto No. 2 (1951)

Malcolm Binns (piano)/Nicholas Braithwaite/London Symphony Orchestra
( + Piano Concerto No. 2, Symphonic Studies, Street Corner Overture)
LYRITA SRCD.255 (2007)
(original LP release: LYRITA SRCS.101) (1979)

Sir Clifford Curzon (piano)/Sir Malcolm Sargent/London Symphony Orchestra
( + Mozart: Piano Concertos Nos. 23 and 27, Beethoven: Piano Concerto No. 5, Tchaikovsky: Piano Concerto No. 1, Franck: Symphonic Variations, Falla: Nights in the Gardens of Spain, Litolff: Scherzo and Schubert: Sonata No. 17 and Impromptus)
DECCA ORIGINAL MASTERS 473 116-2 (4 CDs) (2003)
(original LP release: DECCA LX 3066) (1952)

Peter Donohoe (piano)/Takuo Yuasa/Ulster Orchestra
( + Piano Concerto No. 2 and Improvisations on a theme by Constant Lambert)
NAXOS 8.555959 (2003)

Dennis Matthews (piano)/Sir Malcolm Sargent/BBC Symphony Orchestra
( + Piano Concerto No. 1, Practical Cats and Bagatelles)
EMI CDM 5-66935-2 (1998)
(original LP release: HMV CLP1164) (1958)

John Ogdon (piano)/Sir John Pritchard/BBC Symphony Orchestra (rec. 1983)
( + 2 Piano Concerto and Simpson: Piano Concerto)
CARLTON BBC RADIO CLASSICS 15656 91762 (1996)

Geoffrey Tozer (piano)/Marius Bamert/London Philharmonic Orchestra
( + Piano Concerto No. 1 and 2 Piano Concerto)
CHANDOS CLASSICS CHAN 10339 (2007)
(original CD release: CHANDOS CHAN 9125) (1993)

Concerto for Two Pianos and Orchestra (1968)

John Ogdon and Brenda Lucas (pianos)/Sir John Pritchard/London Philharmonic Orchestra (rec. 1968)
( + 2 Piano Concerto and Simpson: Piano Concerto)
CARLTON BBC RADIO CLASSICS 15656 91762 (1996)

Geoffrey Tozer and Tamara-Anna Cislowski (pianos)/Marius Bamert/London Philharmonic Orchestra
( + Piano Concertos Nos. 1 and 2)
CHANDOS CLASSICS CHAN 10339 (2007)
(original CD release: CHANDOS CHAN 9125) (1993)

Violin Concerto No. 1 (1948)

Rebecca Hirsch (violin)/Lionel Friend/BBC Scottish Symphony Orchestra

( + Violin Concerto No. 2 and Corteges)
NAXOS 8.554240 (1998)

Theo Olof (violin)/Sir Adrian Boult/New Philharmonia Orchestra (rec. 1972)
( + Violin Concerto No. 2, Improvisations on a Theme by Constant Lambert and Divertimento)
CARLTON BBC RADIO CLASSICS 15656 91952 (1997)

Violin Concerto No. 2 (1956)

Rebecca Hirsch (violin)/Lionel Friend/BBC Scottish Symphony Orchestra
( + Violin Concerto No. 1 and Corteges)
NAXOS 8.554240 (1998)

Manoug Parikian (violin)/Rudolf Schwarz/BBC Symphony Orchestra (rec. 1968)
( + Violin Concerto No. 2, Improvisations on a Theme by Constant Lambert and Divertimento)
CARLTON BBC RADIO CLASSICS 15656 91952 (1997)

Cello Concerto (1966)

Alexander Baillie (cello)/David Lloyd-Jones/Royal Scottish National Orchestra
( + Symphonic Studies and Oboe Concerto)
NAXOS 8.554763 (2000)

Concerto for Clarinet and String Orchestra (1937)

Dame Thea King (clarinet)/Alun Francis/Northwest Chamber Orchestra Seattle
( + Cooke: Clarinet Concerto and Jacob: Mini-Concerto)
HYPERION HELIOS CDH55069 (2002)
(original LP release: HYPERION A66031 (1982)

Concerto for Oboe and String Orchestra (1947)

Jill Crowther (oboe)/Alan Cuckston/English Northern Philharmonia
( + A Canticle Of Man, Quartet for Oboe Violin Viola and Cello, Lament for a Sparrow and Studies on a Theme of Bach)
ASC CS CD46 (2002)

Stephanie Rancourt (oboe)/David Lloyd-Jones/Royal Scottish National Orchestra
( + Symphonic Studies and Cello Concerto)
NAXOS 8.554763 (2000)

Concerto for String Orchestra (1949)

Sir Adrian Boult/BBC Symphony Orchestra (rec. 1966)
( + Bliss: Music for Strings amd Moeran: Sinfonietta)
CARLTON BBC RADIO CLASSICS 15656 91632 (1996)

Leslie Jones/Little Orchestra of London
( + Piano Quintet and Cello Sonata)
PYE COLLECTOR GSGC 7060 (LP) (1965)

David Lloyd-Jones/Northern Chamber Orchestra
( + Concertante Pastorale, Light Music for Strings, Suite for Recorder, Elegiac Rhapsody and Divertimento)
NAXOS 8.55367 (1999)

Concertante Pastorale for Flute, Horn and Strings (1951)

Rebecca Goldberg (flute)/Conrad Marshall (horn)/David Lloyd-Jones/Northern Chamber Orchestra
( + Concerto for Strings, Light Music for Strings, Suite for Recorder, Elegiac Rhapsody and Divertimento)
NAXOS 8.55367 (1999)

Concerto for Ten Instruments (1962)

Fibonacci Sequence
( + Sonatina for Flute, Oboe & Piano, Quintet for Clarinet, Horn, Violin, Cello & Piano, Suite for Flute, Viola & Harp and Quintet for Piano & Winds)
ASV CDDCA1061 (1999)

Suite for Recorder and String Orchestra (c. 1940 - orch. version by J. McCabe, 1993)

John Turner (recorder)/Conrad Marshall (horn)/David Lloyd-Jones/Northern Chamber Orchestra
( + Concerto for Strings, Light Music for Strings, Concertante Pastorale, Elegiac Rhapsody and Divertimento)
NAXOS 8.55367 (1999)

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MÁTYÁS SEIBER
(1905-1960)

Born in Budapest. He studied under Kodály at the Budapest Academy of Music. He taught composition in Frankfurt am Main and was a cellist in a string quartet before emigrating to England in 1935. In his new home he founded both the Society for the Promotion of New Music and the Dorian Singers and became a teacher at Morley College. His musical output was large and varied consisting of operas, operettas, ballets, film scores as well as works for orchestra, chamber groups, solo instruments and voices. He had a strong interest in jazz that he often combined with more standard classical music. His other concertante works were additional short pieces for cello and flute.

Fantasia Concertante for Violin and String Orchestra

André Gertler (violin)/Václav Smetáček/Prague Symphony Orchestra
( + Casella: Violin Concerto)
SUPRAPHON 1 10 1838 (LP) (1977)

Elegy for Viola and Small Orchestra (1954)

Cecil Aronowitz (viola)/Mátyás Seiber/London Philharmonic
( + 3 Fragments from "Portrait of an Artist as a Young Man" and Searle: Symphony No. 1)
DECCA SXL 2232 (LP) (1962)

Concertino for Clarinet and String Orchestra (1951)

Dame Thea King (clarinet)/Andrew Litton/English Chamber Orchestra
( + H. Blake: Clarinet Concerto and Lutosławski: 5 Dance Preludes)
HYPERION CDH55068 (2002)
(original CD release: HYPERION CDA66215) (1987)

James Livingston/Jorge Mester/Louisville Orchestra
( + Dorati: Cello Concerto and Kodály: Symphony in C major)
FIRST EDITION 1911 (2006)
(original LP release: LOUISVILLE S-701) (1970)

Improvisation for Oboe and Orchestra (1957)

Lajos Lencsés (oboe)/Peter Eötvös/Stuttgart Symphony Orchestra
( + Wittinger: Concerto for Oboe, Harp and Strings, Hidas: OboeSonata, Arma: Solioque, Kocsár: Saltus Hungaricus, Szendi: Arabesque and Takács: Sonata Missoulana)
BAYER 100340 (2003)

Notturno for Horn and String Orchestra (1944)

Sören Hermansson (horn)/Edvard Tjivzjel/Umeå Sinfonietta
( + Atterberg: Horn Concerto, Larsson: Horn Concertino, Jacob: Horn Concerto and Reger: Scherzino)
BIS CD-376 (1993)

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SIR MICHAEL TIPPETT
(1905-1998)

Born in London. Studied at the Royal College of Music initially with Charles Wood and C.H. Kitson and later with R.O. Morris. He held various posts as a teacher and conductor and involved himself in various social causes. His musical output was very large and covered most genres from opera to works for solo piano. Additional orchestral works include 3 Symphonies, Fantasia on a Theme from Handel, Suite in D and a Symphony written in 1933 that preceded the numbered cycle.

Piano Concerto (1953-5)

Benjamin Frith (piano)/George Hurst/BBC Scottish Symphony Orchestra
( + The Midsummer Marriage: Ritual Dances)
NAXOS 8.553591 (1999)

John Ogdon (piano)/Sir Colin Davis/Philharmonia Orchestra
( + Piano Sonatas Nos. 1 and 2)
EMI BRITISH COMPOSERS 5865862 (2005)
(original LP release: HMV ASD621) (`1963)

Steven Osborne (piano)/Martyn Brabbins/BBC Scottish Symphony Orchestra
( + Fantasia on a Theme of Handel, Piano Sonatas Nos. 1 – 4)
HYPERION CDA67461-2 (2 CDs) (2007)

Howard Shelley (piano)/Richard Hickox/Bournemouth Symphony Orchestra
( + Symphony No. 1)
CHANDOS CHAN 9333 (1995)

Martino Tirino (piano)/Sir Michael Tippett/BBC Philharmonic Orchestra
( + Concerto for Violin, Viola, Cello and Orchestra)
NIMBUS NI5301 (1992)

Concerto for Violin, Viola, Cello and Orchestra (1979)

Levon Chilingirian (violin)/ Simon Rowland-Jones (viola)/ Philip De Groote (cello)/Richard Hickox/Bournemouth Symphony Orchestra
( + Concerto for Orchestra)
CHANDOS CHAN 9384 (1995)

Daniel Hope (violin)/Philip Dukes (viola)/Christian Poltéra (cello)/Sir Andrew Davis/BBC Symphony Orchestra
( + Elgar: Cello Concerto, Knussen: Violin Concerto, Britten: Peter Grimes-4 Sea Interludes, Delius: Song of Summer, R.R. Bennett: 4 Poems of Thomas Campion and Walton: Portsmouth Point Overture
DEUTSCHE GRAMMOPHON 477 7352 –2 (2 CDs) (2007)

Ernst Kovacic (violin)/Gérard Caussé/(viola)/ Alexander Baillie (cello)/Sir Michael Tippett/BBC Philharmonic Orchestra
( + Piano Concerto)
NIMBUS NI5301 (1992)

Ernst Kovacic (violin)/Rivka Golani (viola)/Karen Georgian (cello)/David Atherton/London Sinfonietta (rec. 1985)
( + Vision of Saint Augustine)
CARLTON BBC RADIO CLASSICS 15656 91902 (1996)

György Pauk (violin)/Nobuko Imai (viola)/Ralph Kirshbaum (cello)/Sir Colin Davis/London Symphony Orchestra
( + Concerto for Orchestra)
PHILIPS 4767144 (2005)
(original LP release: PHILIPS 6514 209) (1983)

Concerto for Orchestra (1962-3)

Sir Colin Davis/London Symphony Orchestra
( + Concerto for Violin, Viola, Cello and Orchestra)
PHILIPS 4767144 (2005)
(original LP release: PHILIPS SAL 3497) (1965)

Richard Hickox/Bournemouth Symphony Orchestra
( + Concerto for Violin, Viola, Cello and Orchestra)
CHANDOS CHAN 9384 (1995)

Concerto for Double String Orchestra (1938-9)

Rudolf Barshai/Bournemouth Symphony Orchestra
( + The Midsummer Marriage: Ritual Dances)
EMI CDC 747 3302 (1985)

Rudolf Barshai/Moscow Chamber Orchestra
( + Piano Concerto, Fantasia Concertante. String Quartet No. 2 and Piano Sonatas Nos. 1 – 2)
EMI CMS 7 63522 2 (2 CDs) (1993)

(original LP release: HMV ASD 512) (1963)

William Boughton/English String Orchestra
( + Fantasia Concertante, Little Music, A Child of Our Time: 5 Negro Spirituals and Magnificat and Nunc Dimittis)
NIMBUS NI7026 (1995)

Sir Andrew Davis/BBC Symphony Orchestra
( + Fantasia Concertante and The Midsummer Marriage: Ritual Dances)
APEX 8573890982 (2006)
(original CD release: TELDEC 4509 945 2) (1996)

John Farrer/English Sinfonia
( + Little Music and Vaughan Williams: Partita and 5 Variants of Dives and Lazarus)
RESONANCE RSN3057 (2006)
(original CD release: CARLTON CLASSICS 30366 00542) (1997)

Walter Goehr/orchestra (rec. c.1943)
( + Piano Sonata No.1, String Quartet No. 2 and Tallis: Spem in Alium)
NMC 103 (2005)

Walter Goehr/Philharmonia Orchestra (rec. 1952)
( + Rawsthorne: Symphonic Studies)
HMV CLP 1056 (LP) (1955)

Vernon Handley/London Philharmonic Orchestra
( + Britten: Violin Concerto and Serenade)
CLASSICS FOR PLEASURE 5759782 (2003)
(original LP release: CLASSICS FOR PLEASURE CFP 40068) (1974)

Richard Hickox/City of London Sinfonia
( + Little Music, Divertimento on Sellinger's Round and
The Heart's Assurance)
CHANDOS CHAN 9468 (1996)

Rudolf Kempe/BBC Symphony Orchestra (rec. 1976)
( + Berg: Violin Concerto and Janáček: Sinfonietta)
BBC LEGENDS BBCL42152 (2007)

Sir Neville Marriner/Academy of St. Martin in the Fields
( + Concerto for Orchestra, Concerto for Violin, Viola, Cello and Orchestra,Little Music, Fantasia Concertante, Dance, Clarion Air, Fanfare No. 1 and Byzantium)
Decca British Collection 4701962 (2 CDs) (2001)

(original LP release: ARGO ZRG 680) (1972)

Sir Neville Marriner/Academy of St. Martin in the Fields
( + Divertimento on Sellinger's Round, Little Music and -Sonata for 4 Horns)
CD: EMI CDC5 55452-2 (1995)

Leopold Stokowski/London Symphony Orchestra (rec. 1961)
( + Nielsen: Symphony No. 6, Liszt: Mephisto Waltz No. 1 and Gabrielli: Sonata pian e forte)
BBC LEGENDS BBCL 4059-2 (2000)

Sir Michael Tippett/ Scottish Chamber Orchestra
( + Fantasia Concertante on a Theme of Corelli and Songs of Dov)
EMI BRITISH COMPOSERS 5865882 (2005)
(original CD release: VIRGIN VC 7 90701 2) (1988)

Fantasia on a Theme from Handel for Piano and Orchestra (1939-41)

Margaret Kitchin (piano)/Sir Michael Tippett/London Symphony Orchestra
( + The Vision of Saint Augustine)
RCA RED SEAL SER 5620 (LP) (1972)

Steven Osborne (piano)/Martyn Brabbins/BBC Scottish Symphony Orchestra
( + Piano Concerto, Piano Sonatas Nos. 1 – 4)
HYPERION CDA67461-2 (2 CDs) (2007)

Howard Shelley (piano)/Richard Hickox/Bournemouth Symphony Orchestra
( + Symphony No. 4 and Fantasia Concertante on a Theme of Corelli)
CHANDOS CHAN 9233 (1933)

Fantasia Concertante on a Theme of Corelli (1953)

William Boughton/English String Orchestra
( + Concerto for Double String Orchestra, Little Music, A Child of Our Time: 5 Negro Spirituals and Magnificat and Nunc Dimittis)
NIMBUS NI7026 (1995)

Douglas Boyd/Chamber Orchestra of Europe
( + Britten: Lachrymae, Pärt: Cantus in Memoriam Benjamin Britten, Purcell / Britten: Chacony in G minor, Purcell / Stokowski: Dido's Lament, Vaughan Williams: Fantasia on a Theme and Walton: Henry V: Passacaglia and Touch Her Soft Lips and Part)
Warner Classics 2564601902 (2004)

Iona Brown/Norwegian Chamber Orchestra
( + Beethoven: Symphony No. 1 and Grieg: 2 Elegiac Melodies and 2 Norwegian Melodies)
CD: NAIM AUDIO NAIMCD 009 (1995)

Sir Andrew Davis/BBC Symphony Orchestra
( + Concerto for Double String Orchestra and The Midsummer Marriage: Ritual Dances)
APEX 8573890982 (2006)
(original CD release: TELDEC 4509 945 2) (1996)

Sir Charles Groves/Royal Philharmonic Orchestra
( + Elgar: Serenade for Strings, Britten: Variations on a Theme of Frank Bridge and Vaughan Williams: Fantasia on a Theme by Thomas Tallis)
REGIS RRC1138 (2003)
(original CD release: RPO RECORDS CDRPO 8020) (1990)

Richard Hickox/Bournemouth Symphony Orchestra
( + Symphony No.4. Fantasia on a Theme of Handel)
CHANDOS CHAN 9233 (1993)

Christopher Hogwood/St. Paul Chamber Orchestra
( + Holst: A Fugal Concerto, St. Paul’s Suite, Handel: Concerto Grosso in F, Trio Sonata, Op. 3 #4 and Bach: Fugue in B minor)
DECCA 440 376 2 (1994)

Raymond Leppard/BBC Symphony Orchestra (rec. 1976)
( + Symphony No. 3)
CARLTON BBC RADIO CLASSICS BBC RD 9140 (1995)

John Lubbock/Orchestra of St. Johns Smith Square
( + Little Music for Strings)
PYE VIRTUOSO TPLS 13069 (LP) (1975)

Sir Neville Marriner/Academy of St. Martin in the Fields
( + Concerto for Orchestra, Concerto for Violin, Viola, Cello and Orchestra,Little Music, Concerto for Double String Orchestra, Dance, Clarion Air, Fanfare No. 1 and Byzantium)
Decca British Collection 4701962 (2 CDs) (2001)

(original LP release: ARGO ZRG 680) (1972)

Sir Neville Marriner/Academy of St. Martin in the Fields
( + Elgar: Serenade for Strings, Vaughan Williams:Fantasia on a Theme by Thomas Tallis and The Lark Ascending)
ASV CDDCA518 (1983)

Kenneth Sillito/Academy of St. Martin in the Fields
( + Britten: Simple Symphony, Berkeley: Serenade, Holst: St. Paul’s Suite and Walton: Walton: Henry V: Passacaglia and Touch Her Soft Lips and Part)
COLLINS CLASSICS 12342 (1991)

Sir Michael Tippett/Bath Festival Orchestra
( + Piano Concerto and Concerto for Double String Orchestra)
HMV CLASSICS HMV 5 687832
(original LP release: HMV ASD 637) (1965)

Sir Michael Tippett/ Scottish Chamber Orchestra
( + Concerto for Double String Orchestra and Songs of Dov)
EMI BRITISH COMPOSERS 5865882 (2005)
(original CD release: VIRGIN VC 7 90701 2) (1988)

Return to alphabetical index

MURRAY ADASKIN
(1906-2002)

Born in Toronto. After extensive training on the violin he studied composition with John Weinzweig, Darius Milhaud and Charles Jones. He taught at the University of Saskatchewan where he was also composer-in-residence. His musical output was extensive ranging from opera to solo instrument pieces. He wrote an Algonquin Symphony in 1958, a Concerto for Orchestra and other works for orchestra.

Bassoon Concerto (1960)

George Zuckernan (bassoon)/John Avison/CBC Vancouver Chamber Orchestra

( + . Divertimento for Orchestra, Suite for Orchestra, In Praise of Canadian Painting in the Thirties
and Diverimento No.6)
CENTREDISCS CMCCD 8102 (2 CDs) (2002)

(original LP release: CBC BR SM 143) (1970)

Return to alphabetical index

ARNOLD COOKE
(1906-2005)

Born in Gomersal, Yorkshire. He studied with E.J. Dent at Cambridge and then had further lessons in Germany with Paul Hindemith. He taught from 1933 to 1977 first at the Royal Manchester College of Music and then at the Trinity College of Music in London. He wrote a total of 6 Symphonies the unrecorded ones are: No. 2 in F major (1963), No. 4 in E flat major (1974), No. 5 in G major (1978-9), No. 6 in E flat major (1983-4) and also a Sinfonietta for Chamber Orchestra (1954). Other works include a Concerto for Orchestra and Concertos for Piano, Violin, Cello, Oboe and 2 for Clarinet.

Clarinet Concerto No. 1 (1955)

Dame Thea King (clarinet)/Alun Francis/Northwest Chamber Orchestra Seattle
( + Cooke: Clarinet Concerto and Jacob: Mini-Concerto)
HYPERION HELIOS CDH55069 (2002)
(original LP release: HYPERION A66031 (1982)

Concerto in D major for String Orchestra (1948)

Nicholas Braithwaite/London Philharmonic Orchestra (rec. 1988)
( + Symphony No. 1 and Jabez and the Devil:Suite)
LYRITA SRCD.203 (2007)

Divertimento for Recorder and String Orchestra (1959)

John Turner (recorder)/Philip Mackenzie/Manchester Camerata Ensemble
( + A. Butterworth: Rêverie, Jackson: Moonrise, Hurd: Three-Piece Suite, Hedges: Three Miniatures, Crosse: Water Music and Pehkonen: Concerto Over the Water)
DUTTON EPOCH CDLX 7191 (2007)

Return to alphabetical index

BENJAMIN FRANKEL
(1906-1973)

Born in London. He studied at the Guildhall School of Music after some lessons as a teenager in Germany. Worked as a jazz musician, taught at the Guildhall and wrote numerous scores for motion pictures. His other orchestral works comprise 8 Symphonies plus a number of shorter works.

Violin Concerto, Op. 24 "In Memory of the Six Million" (1951)

Ulf Hoelscher (violin)/ Werner Andreas Albert/Queensland Symphony Orchestra
( + Viola Concerto and Serenata Concertante)
CPO 999422 (1998)

Viola Concerto, Op. 45 (1967)

Brett Dean (viola)/ Werner Andreas Albert/Queensland Symphony Orchestra
( + Violin Concerto and Serenata Concertante)
CPO 999422 (1998)

Serenata Concertante for Piano Trio and Orchestra, Op. 37 (1960)

Alan Smith (violin)/David Lale (cello)/Stephen Emmerson (piano)/Werner Andreas Albert/Queensland Symphony Orchestra
( + Violin Concerto and Viola Concerto)
CPO 999422 (1998)

Return to alphabetical index

ELIZABETH LUTYENS
(1906-1983)

Born in London. She began her musical studies in Paris at the École Normale and went on to the Royal College of Music where Harold Darke was her composition teacher. She initially earned her living as a musical copyist and arranger but later progressed to writing scores for films and radio. She composed prolifically in various genres including, opera, orchestral, chamber, instrumental and vocal music. Her larger scores for orchestra include a Viola Concerto, 6 Chamber Concertos and Symphonies for Piano and Orchestra.

Chamber Concerto No. 1, Op. 8 No. 1 (1939-40)

Roger Montgomery/Jane's Minstrels
Valley of Hatsu-Se, 6 Tempi for 10 Instruments, Isis and Osiris: Lament of Isis, Triolets I and II and Requiescat)
NMC NMCD 011 (1992)

Return to alphabetical index

GRACE WILLIAMS
(1906-1977)

Born in Barry, Glamorganshire, Wales. Studied at the Royal College of Music with Ralph Vaughan Williams and Gordon Jacob. She had further lessons in Vienna with Egon Wellesz. Her employment included school teaching and writing for the BBC. She destroyed most of her early works. Her other major orchestral works are 2 Symphonies, Sinfonia Concertante for Piano and Orchestra and a Violin Concerto.

Trumpet Concerto (1963)

Howard Snell (trumpet)/Sir Charles Groves/London Symphony Orchestra
( + Fantasia on Welsh Nursery Tunes, Carillons, Penillion and Sea Sketches)
LYRITA SRCD.323 (1995)
(original LP release: HMV ASD 3006) (1974)

Carillons for Oboe and Orchestra (1965)

Anthony Camden (oboe)/Sir Charles Groves/London Symphony Orchestra
( + Fantasia on Welsh Nursery Tunes, Trumpet Concerto, Penillion and Sea Sketches)
LYRITA SRCD.323 (1995)
(original LP release: HMV ASD 3006) (1974)

Return to alphabetical index

DAME ELIZABETH MACONCHY
(1907-1994)

Born in Broxbourne, Hertfordshire. Studied at the Royal College of Music with Charles Wood, Ralph Vaughan Williams and C.H. Kitson and had further training with Karel Jirák at the Prague Conservatory. She was able to devote herself almost solely to composing but was very active with professional composers associations such as the Composers Guild of Great Britain and the Society for the Promotion of New Music. She wrote a Symphony for full orchestra (1945-8) as well as a Sinfonietta (1976) and a Little Symphony (1980). Other major works for orchestra are 2 Concertos for Piano and a Viola Concerto.

Clarinet Concertino No. 1 (1945)

Dame Thea King (clarinet)/Barry Wordsworth/English Chamber Orchestra
( + Clarinet Concertino No. 2, Britten: Concerto Movement and Arnold: Clarinet Concertos Nos. 1 and 2)
HYPERION HELIOS CDH55060 (2001)
(original CD release: HYPERION CDA66634) (1993)

Clarinet Concertino No. 2 (1984)

Janet Hilton (clarinet)/Rumon Gamba/BBC Scottish Symphony Orchestra
( + Harper: Clarinet Concerto, Hoddinott: Clarinet Concerto No 2 and McCabe Clarinet Concerto)
Clarinet Classics CC0034 (2001)

Dame Thea King (clarinet)/Barry Wordsworth/English Chamber Orchestra
( + Clarinet Concertino No. 1, Britten: Concerto Movement and Arnold: Clarinet Concertos Nos. 1 and 2)
HYPERION HELIOS CDH55060 (2001)
(original CD release: HYPERION CDA66634) (1993)

Romance for Viola and Orchestra (1979)

Sarah-Jane Bradley (viola)/George Vass/Orchestra Nova
( + McCabe: Concerto Funèbre, Alwyn: Pastoral Fantasia, Holst: Lyric Movement and Matthews: Winter Remembered)
DUTTON EPOCH CDLX 7186 (2007)

Epyllion for Cello and Strings (1975)

Raphael Wallfisch (cello)/William Boughton/Südwestdeutsches Kammerorchester Pforzheim
( + Patterson: Cello Concerto No. 2-, Hindemith: Trauermusik, Lutosławski: Metamorposes and Kopytman: Kaddish)
NIMBUS NI5815 (2007)

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JEAN COULTHARD
(1908-2000)

Born in Vancouver, British Columbia. After initial musical studies in Vancouver, she attended the Royal College of Music where her composition teachers were Vaughan Williams and R.O. Morris. She later had additional lessons with Arthur Benjamin, Gordon Jacob and Bernard Wagenaar. Back in Vancouver, she was the administrator of several music schools and taught at the University of Vancouver for 26 years. She composed steadily both before and after her retirement and produced a huge amount of works in all genres. In addition to the Piano Concerto, her large-scale works for orchestra include 4 Symphonies, Violin Concerto, the suite "Canadian Mosaics" and the symphonic poem "Endymion."

Piano Concerto (1963)

Robert Silverman (piano)/Dwight Bennett/CBC Vancouver Orchestra
( + Sketches from the Western Woods and 12 Essays on a Cantabile Theme)
CENTREDISCS CMCCD 8202 (2 CDs) (2002)

Burlesque for Piano and String Orchestra (1977)

Margaret Bruce (piano)/Peter Gellhorn/ Canadians and Classics Chamber Orchestra
( + Archer: Divertimento and Tučapský: Piano Concertino)
Fish Ear Communcations FECD 622 (1996)

Music on a Quiet Song for Flute and String Orchestra (1946)

Timothy Hutchins (flute)/Mario Bernardi/CBC Vancouver Orchestra
( + McCauley: Miniatures, Rodrigo: Concierto Pastoral, Chaminade: Flute Concertino, Fauré: Fantaisie and Saint-Saëns: Romance)
CBC SMCD 5171 (1998)

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HOWARD FERGUSON
(1908-1999)

Born in Belfast. He studied at the Royal College of Music where his teachers were Harold Samuel (piano), Malcolm Sargent (conducting) and R.O. Morris (composition). He later taught at the Royal Academy of Music while and pursued parallel careers as musicologist, pianist and composer. His compositional output was not vast and he is probably best-known for histwo large scale choral works, "Amore Langueo" and "Dream of the Rood." His few other orchestral works include a Partita and 4 Diversions on Ulster Airs.

Concerto for Piano and String Orchestra, Op. 12 (1951)

Peter Donohoe (piano & conductor)/Northern Sinfonia
( + Darnton: Piano Concertino, Rowley: Piano Concerto and Gerhard: Piano Concerto)
NAXOS 8.557290 (2005)

Howard Shelley (piano)/Richard Hickox/City of London Sinfonia
( + Amore Langueo and Finzi: Eclogue)
EMI CDC 7 49627 2 (1987)

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SIDNEY TORCH
(1908-1990)

Born in London, original name Tochinsky. He learned piano at the Blackheath Conservatoire and gained fame as a young man as a cinema pianist and organist. Later on he switched to conducting and began writing light orchestral pieces for the BBC. His connection with the BBC lasted for many years and he became one of its most popular conductors. His compositions were exclusively of a light nature and were very well known in their time.

Concerto Incognito for Piano and Orchestra

Philip Martin (piano)/Barry Wordsworth/BBC Concert Orchestra
( + Slavonic Rhapsody, London Transport Suite, All Strings and Fancy Free, Barbecue, Trapeze Waltz, On a Spring Note, Bicycle Belles, Comic Cuts, Mexican Fiesta, Petite Valse. Samba Sud, Shortcake Walk, Cresta Run, Shooting Star, Going for a Ride and Duel for Drummers)
MARCO POLO 8.223443 (1996)

Slavonic Rhapsody for Two Pianos and Orvchestra

Philip Martin and Clair Hiles (pianos)/Barry Wordsworth/BBC Concert Orchestra
( + Concerto Incognito, London Transport Suite, All Strings and Fancy Free, Barbecue, Trapeze Waltz, On a Spring Note, Bicycle Belles, Comic Cuts, Mexican Fiesta, Petite Valse. Samba Sud, Shortcake Walk, Cresta Run, Shooting Star, Going for a Ride and Duel for Drummers)
MARCO POLO 8.223443 (1996)

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ISADOR GOODMAN
(1909-1982)

Born in Cape Town, South Africa. He studied at the Royal College of Music, London, and appeared in concerts in England and Europe before emigrating to Australia in 1930 and became a teacher at the New South Wales Conservatorium in Sydney and supplemented his income by playing piano for cinemas and theaters. For the next 5 decades he was a well-known recitalist and soloist with leading orchestras in Australia and the United Kingdom. In addition to the New Guinea Fantasy he wrote music in various genres both serious and popular.

New Guinea Fantasy for Piano and Orchestra (1944)

Isador Goodman (piano)/Patrick Thomas/Melbourne Symphony Orchestra
( + Addinsell: Warsaw Concerto, Bath: Cornish Rhapsody, Williams: Dream of Olwen, Rózsa: Spellbound Concerto, Gershwin: Rhapsody in Blue, Evans: Idyll, Litolff: Scherzo and Rachmaninoff: excerpts from Piano Concerto No. 2 and Paganini Rhapsody)
PHILIPS (Australia) 476 7333 (2005)

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MINNA KEAL
(1909-1999)`

Born in London. She was an early pupil of William Alwyn at the Royal Academy of Music. Her budding musical career was replaced by familial duties and did not resume until she was in her sixties. In addition to the Cello Concerto she also produced a large-scale Symphony and several chamber works.

Cello Concerto (1988-94)

Alexander Baillie (cello)/Martyn Brabbins/BBC Scottish Symphony Orchestra
( + Ballade for Cello and Piano)
NMC D0485 (1998)

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HERBERT MURRILL
(1909-1952)

Born in London. He attended the Royal Academy of music where his teachers were York Bowen, Stanley Marchant and Alan Bush. He took a teaching post at Oxford and also worked as an organist and choirmaster. He joined the staff of the BBC and eventually became Head of Music. He composed a lot of light music including film scores but there is also his Cello Concerto No. 1 (1935) as well as choral, chamber and instrumental pieces.

Cello Concerto No. 2 "The Song of the Birds" (1951)

Raphael Wallfisch (cello)/Vernon Handley/BBC Concert Orchestra
( + Rubbra: Soliloquy, Haydn Wood: Philharmonic Variations and Dyson: Prelude, Fantasy and Chaconne)
WHITE LINE CDWHL 2153 (2004)

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GILBERT VINTER
(1909-1969)

Born in Lincoln. He studied at the Royal Academy of Music and later taught at this school. He worked as a conducter and bassoonist and made his name in the BBC Wireless Band and the London Philharmonic Orchestra. During World War II he conducted the Royal Air Force Central Band and afterwards rejoined the BBC as staff conductor and led the well-known BBC Midlands Light Orchestra for many years. He composed numerous works for brass band, the cantata "The Trumpets and also a ballet, an opera, Saxophone Concerto, Christmas Sinfonietta and other works for orchestra.

Hunter’s Moon for Horn and Orchestra (1942)

Dennis Brain (horn)/Vilem Tausky/BBC Concert Orchestra
( + Jacob: Sextet for Piano and Winds, Beethoven: Quintet for Piano, Oboe, Clarinet, Bassoon and Horn and Hindemith: Horn Sonata)
BBC LEGENDS BBCL4164-2 (2005)

David Pyatt (horn)/Nicholas Braithwaite/London Philharmonic Orchestra
(rec. 1994)
( + Jacob: Horn Concerto, Arnold: Horn Concerto No. 2, Bowen: Horn Concerto and Gipps: Horn Concerto)
LYRITA SRCD.316 (2007)

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RONALD BINGE
(1910-1979)

Born in Derby. He had some piano lessons but was basically self-taught, getting most of his early experience on the job accompanying silent movies. He became one of the leading composers, conductors and arrangers of light orchestral music and worked for many years with Mantovani. His only large-scale work was The Saturday Symphony but the Saxophone Concerto as well as the Scottish Rhapsody and Elizabethan Serenade are more ambitious examples of his usual type of piece.

Alto Saxophone Concerto in E flat major (1956)

Aage Voss (saxophone)/ Ronald Binge/South German Radio Orchestra
( + Saturday Symphony and various light orchestra pieces)
ASV WHITELINE CDWLZ245 (2 CDs) (2000)
(original LP release: Rediffusion ZS75) (1971)

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FRANZ REIZENSTEIN
(1911-1968)

Born in Nuremberg. He studied with Leonid Kreutzer and Paul Hindemith at the Hochschule für Musik in Berlin. He fled to England in 1934 after the advent of the Nazi regime and finished his musical education at the Royal College of Music studying composition with Vaughan Williams. He later held teaching positions at the Royal Academy of Music and the Royal Manchester College of Music. He composed steadily from childhood until his death and produced an opera and many works for orchestra and chamber groups. His larger orchestral works include 2 Piano Concertos (1941 and 1961), Violin Concerto (1954), Cello Concerto (1936) and Concerto for Strings (1966-7).

Concerto Popolare (A Piano Concerto to End All Piano Concertos) (1956) (written for the Hoffnung Festival)

Yvonne Arnaud (piano)/Norman Del Mar/Hoffnung Symphony Orchestra
( + Arnold: A Grand, Grand Overture, Jacob: Variations on Annie Laurie and other works by L. Mozart, Chopin, Searle and Baines)
EMI CLASSICS CMS7 63302 2 (2002)
(original LP release: COLUMBIA CX 1406) (1957)

Partita for Recorder and String Orchestra, Op. 18b (1939-54)

John Turner (recorder)/Louise Thomson (harp)/Philip Mackenzie/Manchester Camerata Ensemble
( + A. Butterworth: Rêverie, Hopkins: Suite, Cooke: Divertimento, Jackson: Moonrise, Hurd: Three-Piece Suite, Hedges: Three Miniatures, Crosse: Water Music and Pehkonen: Concerto Over the Water)
DUTTON EPOCH CDLX 7191 (2007)

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PEGGY GLANVILLE-HICKS
(1912-2000)

Born in Melbourne. Studied at the Royal College of Music with Ralph Vaughan Williams, Arthur Benjamin and Constant Lambert. She also had further composition lessons with Egon Wellesz in Vienna and Nadia Boulanger in Paris. She basically relocated to America in 1942 and wrote most of her major works there, returning permanently to Australia in 1976. She was most known for her operas. Her other large works for orchestra are Sinfonia Pacifica, 2 Sinfoniettas and Concertos for Piano and Flute .

Etruscan Concerto for Piano and Chamber Orchestra (1955)

Carlo Bussotti (piano)/Carlos Surinach/M-G-M Chamber Orchestra
( + Concerto No. 11)
MGM 3357 (LP) (1956)

Concerto Romantico for Viola and Orchestra (1946)

Walter Trampler (viola)/Carlos Surinach/M-G-M Chamber Orchestra
( + Richter: Aria and Toccata and B. Weber: Rapsodie Concertante)
MGM 3559 (LP) (1957)

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BARBARA PENTLAND
(1912-2000)

Born in Winnipeg. She went to America to study with Frederick Jacobi and Bernard Wagenaar at the Juilliard School of Music and also took courses with Aaron Copland at the Berkshire Music Center. She taught successively at the Toronto Conservatory and the University of British Columbia. She composed in all genres but appears to have specialized in instrumental music. Some of her other orchestral works are 4 Symphonies and Concertos for Violin and Organ.

Concerto for Piano and String Orchestra (1956)

Mario Bernardi (piano)/Victor Feldbrill/CBC Symphony Orchestra
( + Symphony, Shadows, String Quartet and 2 Sung Songs)
CENTREDISCS CMCCD 9203 (2 CDs) (2003)
(original LP release: RADIO CANADA INTERNATIONAL RCI 184) (1962)

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MIRIAM HYDE
(1913-2005)

Born in Adelaide. Her initial musical studies were with her mother and at the Elder Conservatorium in Adelaide. She then went to London to attend the Royal College of Music where her teachers were Howard Hadley and Arthur Benjamin for piano and R.O. Morris and Gordon Jacob for composition. Returning to Australia and settling in Sydney she pursued a multi-facetted career as composer, recitalist, teacher and writer. She composed steadily though not prolifically and most of her compositions are on a smaller with only a few other works beyond the Piano Concertos for orchestra.

Piano Concerto No. 1 in E flat minor (1934)

Miriam Hyde (piano)/Geoffrey Simon/West Australian Symphony Orchestra (rec. 1975)
( + Piano Concerto No. 2 and Village Fair)
ABC CLASSICS 4657352 (2006)
(original CD release: ABC CLASSICS 446 285-2 {2 CDs}) (1995)

Piano Concerto No. 2 in C sharp minor (1935)

Miriam Hyde (piano)/Joseph Post/Sydney Symphony Orchestra
( + Heroic Elegy and Lyric for Strings)
ABC PRX/4158 (non-commercial LP) (1957)

Miriam Hyde (piano)/Geoffrey Simon/West Australian Symphony Orchestra (rec. 1975)
( + Piano Concerto No. 1 and Village Fair)
ABC CLASSICS 4657352 (2006)
(original CD release: ABC CLASSICS 446 285-2 {2 CDs}) (1995)

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BENJAMIN BRITTEN
(1913-1976)

Lord Britten of Aldeburgh, to give him his full title, was born in Lowestoft, Suffolk. At the age of 13 he received composition lessons from Frank Bridge. He later studied at the Royal Academy of Music with John Ireland for composition and Arthur Benjamin and Harold Samuel for piano. His professional composing career began with scores for documentary films but he went on to become the most played, recorded and famous English composers of the second half of the twentieth century composing successfully in all genres especially opera. The major works for orchestra that supplement the Concertos are Sinfonia da Requiem, Sinfonietta and his most popular pieces, Variations on a Theme of Frank Bridge and the Young Person’s Guide to the Orchestra.

Piano Concerto in D major, Op. 13 (1938, rev. 1945)

Jacques Abram (piano)/Herbert Menges/Philharmonia Orchestra
( + Prelude and Fugue and Rubbra: Piano Concerto)
EMI BRITISH COMPOSERS CDM 574781 (2001) 
(original LP release: HMV CLP 1118) (1957) 

Leif Ove Andsnes (piano)/ Neeme Järvi/ City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra
( + Shostakovich: Piano Concerto No. 1 and Enescu: Legend)
EMI CD 556760-2 (1999)

Jane Coop (piano)/Mario Bernardi/CBC Symphony Orchestra
( + Rawsthorne: Piano Concerto No. 1, Ireland: Legend and Finzi: Eclogue)
CBC SM 5208 (2001)

Barry Douglas (piano)/Marek Janowski/French Radio Philharmonic Orchestra
( + Debussy: Fantaisie)
RCA 09026 68127-2 (1997)

Ralf Gothóni (piano)/Okko Kamu/elsingborg Symphony Orchestra
( + Soirées Musicales and Matinées Musicales)
ONDINE ODE8252 (1994)

Robert Leonardy/Saarbrucken Radio SO/Stanislaw Skrowaczewski
( + Elgar: Enigma Variations)
ARTE NOVA 74321 27769 2 (1997)

Gillian Lin (piano)/John Hopkins/Melbourne Symphony Orchestra
( + Copland: Piano Concerto)
Chandos Collect CHAN 6580 (1992)
(original LP release: CHANDOS ABR 1061) (1982)

Joanna MacGregor (piano)/Steuart Bedford/English Chamber Orchestra
(includes original and revised 3rd movement)
( + Overture to Paul Bunyan {arr. C. Matthews} and Johnson over Jordan: Suite {arr. P. Hindmarsh})
NAXOS 8.557197 (2005)
(original CD release: COLLINS CLASSICS 1102-2) (1990)

Marjorie Mitchell/William Strickland/North German Radio Symphony Orchestra
( + Busoni: Indian Fantasy and Bortkiewicz: Piano Concerto No. 1)
Millenium MCD80116 (c. 1995)
(original US LP release: DECCA GOLD LABEL 710133) (1966)

Sviatoslav Richter (piano)/Benjamin Britten/English Chamber Orchestra
( + Violin Concerto)
DECCA 417 308-2 (1989)
(original LP release: DECCA SXL 6512) (1971)

Sviatoslav Richter (piano)/ Yevgeni Svetlanov/USSR State Symphony Orchestra (rec. 1967)
( + Lachrymae and Cello Sonata)
Revelation RV10060 (1997)

Annette Servadei (piano)/Joseph Giunta/London Philharmonic Orchestra
( + Khachaturian: Piano Concerto)
HYPERION CDA66293 (1988)