World-premiere recordings of great British works

The BBC Concert Orchestra plays with impressive spirit and precision under John Wilson on this collection of English orchestral writing

Composer: Alwyn, Parry, Bowen, Vaughan Williams

Artists: BBC Concert Orchestra/John Wilson
Rating: 4/5
Genre: Orchestral
Label: Dutton CDLX 7237

It’s great to see a certain kind of approachable style of English orchestral writing, after its many years in the critical wilderness, coming back into the limelight. The beautifully crafted music of William Alwyn (1905-85) for example – which tempers high spirits with a delicate sense of nostalgia and melancholy – is a delight, and his Overture, Peter Pan Suite and tone-poem Blackdown all deserve a more frequent place in the concert hall. There are further ear-grabbing world-premiere recordings of works by Vaughan Williams and York Bowen, too.