English Fantasy

WILL TODD (b.1970): Concerto for Emma, PAUL READE (1943-1997): Suite from The Victorian Kitchen Garden, JOHN DANKWORTH (1927-2010): Clarinet Concerto “The Woolwich”, PATRICK HAWES (b.1958): Clarinet Concerto.

Description: This location in the catalogue is where you’ll find British Light Music if we have any to offer (as we did last month) and this disc fits perfectly here. Two of the concertos, by Todd and Dankworth, make extensive use of jazz, blues, boogie-woogie (Dankworth) and even funk (Todd), while Reade’s suite from music for a BBC how-to-built-it TV series of 1987 is so lovely that you want to see the scenes it’s underpinning. Hawes’ concerto is the newest (just last year) and is closest to the good old Light Music genre even if its still and beautiful Sarabande slow movement almost insinuates its way into “Serious”. Emma Johnson (clarinet), BBC Concert Orchestra; Philip Ellis.