A dip-in release, eleven overtures (a few first recordings), seventy-seven minutes; (lucky) track three for me to start, Alan Rawsthorne’s effervescent and engaging Street Corner, establishing style and mood from the start, a vital key to success: short playing time, grab the listener within seconds. Maybe Daniel Jones or Alan Bush do not manage this, but Frank Bridge certainly does in the marvellous Rebus (his final orchestral work), chattering along and lyrically imploring. We’ll each produce a different list if playing the accept/reject game – I am happy to welcome Britten’s Overture to Paul Bunyan (idiomatically orchestrated by Colin Matthews), Clifton Parker’s elegant Mozartean The Glass Slipper and the Rossini-related example by Eric Fenby, complete with characteristic crescendos. Excellent performances and sound on Chandos CHAN 20351. Enjoy your choices…
Chandos releases “Overtures from the British Isles: Volume 3”, with BBC Philharmonic & Rumon Gamba.
