RECORDING OF THE MONTH RECORDING OF THE MONTH BARGAIN OF THE MONTH VAUGHAN WILLIAMS A London Symphony Oboe Concerto £11 post free World-wide RACHMANINOV Elegy, Preludes, Piano concerto 3 £12 post free World-wide CHAUSSON, DEBUSSY RACHMANINOV TRios 2CDs £16 post free World-wide

BUY NOW  AmazonUK   AmazonUS

English Clarinet Concertos John CARMICHAEL (b. 1930) Fêtes Champêtres (1963) [8:52] Leighton LUCAS (1903 – 1982) Clarinet Concerto (1957) [21:00] Ralph VAUGHAN WILLIAMS (1872 – 1958) Six Studies on English Folk Song (1926, orch. 1957) [8:42] Humphrey PROCTER-GREGG (1895 – 1980) Clarinet Concerto (c.1940) [25:40] Ian Scott (clarinet) Royal Ballet Sinfonia/Barry Wordsworth Recorded: Cadogan Hall, London, January 2005 DUTTON CDLX 7153 [64:39]

Only two pieces in this collection may be considered as concertos and are in fact titled as such. Carmichael’s Fêtes Champêtres is more of a suite of three dance movements in an accessible, Gallic idiom often bringing Poulenc to mind. It’s none the worse for that since this attractive piece is enjoyable from first to last. Originally scored for symphony orchestra, it is heard here in a version scored for smaller orchestral forces made by the composer for this recording. RVW’s Six Studies in English Folk Song were originally written for cello and piano, but also exist in alternative versions, including one for clarinet and piano. This short work is heard here in Arnold Foster’s scoring for strings made in 1957. Leighton Lucas’s music is far too little known. Until this disc I knew only his Symphonic Suite for brass. The present recording of his Clarinet Concerto is most welcome. This is a rather serious and fairly substantial work in three movements exploiting the clarinet’s agility in the outer movements as well as its lyrical potential in the sombre slow movement: more of an elegy than a meditation. This superbly crafted work repays repeated hearings and is a welcome addition. It deserves to be heard more often. Procter-Gregg’s music was completely unknown to me. I knew of him only as one of Maxwell Davies’ teachers in Manchester. His Clarinet Concerto is traditional in structure and idiom. The first movement sometimes seems to hark back to Brahms, but the other two movements - a beautifully lyrical Andante and an animated Allegro molto - are obviously closer to the 20th Century mainstream, neither reactionary nor progressive, but certainly enjoyable. Ian Scott plays beautifully throughout; and all concerned seem to enjoy themselves enormously. I cannot but recommend this attractive collection of unfamiliar, but rewarding works that all deserve much more than the occasional hearing. Hubert Culot       Advertising Rates Visitor stats MusicWeb International has over 40,000 Classical CD reviews on offer Discs received Having a problem Donating? Gerard Hoffnung Concerts & The Bricklayer Story MusicWeb can now offer you discs from the following catalogues: Prices include postage There will be NO VAT Rises [Acte Préalable £13.50] [Arcodiva £12.00] [Avie from £6.25] [British Music Society £12.00] [CDACCORD from £13.50 ] [ClassicO £12.50] [Hallé from £11] [Heritage £10] [Hortus £14.99 ] [Lyrita ONLY £11.75 ] [Nimbus Special prices] [Northern Flowers £13.50] [REDCLIFFE £11 ] [Sheva £11] [Tactus £11.50 ] [Talent from £12.00 ] [Toccata Classics £10.50 ] Musicweb Special Offers Monthly Best Buys   New Releases New Releases   MusicWeb sells the Polish catalogue CDAccord £10.50 post free W-W MusicWeb sells the Arcodiva catalogue £12.00 post free W-W £11.75 post-free world- wide     Google Ads - for information about privacy matters, click here.  Amazon Musicweb International is a participant in the Amazon EU Associates Programme, an affiliate advertising programme designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to Amazon.co.uk and Amazon.com

Return to Index

Reviews from previous months Join the mailing list and receive a hyperlinked weekly update on the discs reviewed. details We welcome feedback on our reviews. Please use the Bulletin Board Please paste in the first line of your comments the URL of the review to which you refer.