CYRIL SCOTT (1879-1970): Vol. 3 - Violin Concerto, Festival Overture for Orchestra, Chorus and Organ, Aubade for Large Orchestra, Op. 77, 3 Symphonic Dances, Op. 22.

Description: The earliest music here stands apart stylistically from the rest - the Symphonic Dances which are three of the four movements of Scott's Symphony No. 2 (1901-02), missing only the first movement - conventionally romantic and orchestrally sumptuous. Oddly, the Festival Overture began also in 1902 as an overture to Maeterlinck's play Princess Maleine and underwent two revisions in 1912 and 1929 before appearing under its title here. This, however, has all the exoticism you would expect for its original subject matter, with harp, orchestral piano and celesta lending a glittering brilliance and pagan power to this atmospheric tone poem. Aubade (1905) is not far off from Debussy in its contrasting textures and constant changes of orchestral color. The concerto (1925) is an exquisitely fragrant and colorful, rhaposdic single-movement work of 22 minutes and several sections whose orchestration can suggest Delius or Szymanowski depending on the moment. Olivier Charlier (violin), BBC Philharmonic; Martyn Brabbins.