John Addison; Arthur Benjamin; Elizabeth Maconchy; Humphrey Searle; Edmund Rubbra: British Piano Concertos
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Smaller concertos for piano and modest orchestral
forces were a feature of British composition in the first
half of the 20th century. Often they were written for a
special occasion, and typically vanished into oblivion
thereafter. During the COVID period we were looking
for things to record with small numbers of players, and
stumbled across this treasury: short concertos written
for entertainment that don’t outstay their welcome.
The works on this CD travel from the innocent pastiche
of Geoffrey Bush’s tribute to Arne, Edmund Rubbra’s
student essay, through the ‘Blues’ of Arthur Benjamin,
the serial language of Humphrey Searle, the drama of
Elizabeth Maconchy, and the bold humour of film
composer John Addison. It is all great fun, and has
never been recorded - apart from the Benjamin
recorded just once, back in 1959. Simon Callaghan and
Martyn Brabbins team-up to raise a smile, enjoying the
lighter side of musical life.
'Clearly a musician of curiosity and discernment,
Callaghan’s robust piano-playing is also thoughtful,
subtle and refined.' Gramophone