DONALD TOVEY (1875-1940): Cello Concerto, Op. 40, Elegiac Variations for Cello and Piano, Op. 25, Air (Andante cantabile) for Strings (arr. Peter Shore).

Description: Although twenty years separate this mammoth concerto from 1932-33 (54 minutes long with what may be the longest movement in any cello concerto - the first is 25:28 in this reading) from the equally gargantuan symphony, nothing has really changed in Tovey's style. Lyrical, dignified and halfway between Brahms and Elgar with Bruckner's shadow looming frequently as well. The ten-minute Variations (1909) are dark and dramatic, a tribute to the late cellist of the Joachim Quartet. Fifteen pages of fine-print, scholarly notes with plenty of music examples complement the music nicely. Alice Neary (cello), Gretel Dowdeswell (piano), The Ulster Orchestra; George Vass.