ARTHUR MEULEMANS (1884-1966): Concertos for Orchestra, Nos. 1 & 2, (1907-1975): Scherzo from Concerto for Orchestra No. 1, Op. 37, JEF MAES (1905-1996): Overture concertante.

Description: Maes' overture from 1961, in the best "festive overture" style, opens an entertaining disc of Flemish orchestral music from this new label. Meulemans' two concerti are separated by only four years (1953 and 1957) and both are tonal but the first is a relatively smooth exercise whose model is plainly Bartók's Concerto for Orchestra while the second is all angular, fragmented melodies popping up and just as soon being cut off while the next one comes in. Layering of time signatures makes things appear even more busy than they may be and the capricious course continues, except for a polyphonic slow movement, until a feverish and brassy finale which ends quite abruptly. Rosseau's scherzo (1947) is delightful; a 49-minute disc left lots of room for the rest of the work too... Royal Flemish Philharmonic;  Martyn Brabbins.