GORDON JACOB (1895-1984): A Symphony for Strings, HUBERT PARRY (1848-1918): An English Suite, EDWARD ELGAR (1857-1934): Organ Sonata in G, op. 28 (arr. string orchestra as Swinnerton’s Dream by Hans Kunstovy [b.1947]).

Description: The main find here is Jacob’s string symphony composed almost right after his Symphony No, 2 in 1943 on a commission by the Boyd Neel String Orchestra. Powerful and astringent (Jacob was involved at the time in a performance of Honegger’s Second symphony) it certainly reflects the mood of the times in its first movement but a lovely, quiet slow movement with a solo violin part and a bracing fugue finale generate a final spirit of affirmation. Kunstovny was solo bassist in the orchestra on this recording and made his own transcription of Elgar’s sonata in 2007, subtitling it with Elgar’s original dedicatee. Southwest German Chamber Orchestra Pforzheim; Douglas Bostock.