PETER MAXWELL DAVIES (1934-2016): Sinfonia, Sinfonia Concertante.

Description: The 1962 Sinfonia is very typical of Maxwell Davies at the time; based on structural elements - an ostinato here, a sequence of rhythmic note-values there, ornamentation, form - from different movements of Monteverdi's Vespers, the piece is a four-movement chamber symphony the vocabulary of which is atonal, set in clear, bright 'klangfarben' instrumentation. The Sinfonia Concertante is almost twice the length, a three-movement work from 1982, two years after the Second Symphony, which marked something of a watershed in the composer's development of a more tonal language. Just as 'Sibelian' was frequently used to describe the processes, organic nature-sounds (often suggesting flowing water currents and tides) and tonality of the symphony, many of the same devices are in evidence here. David Nicholson (flute), Robin Miller (oboe), Lewis Morrison (clarinet), Gareth Newman (bassoon), Robert Cool (horn), Tristan Fry (timpani), Scottish Chamber Orchestra; Peter Maxwell Davies. Original 1989 release.