York Bowen

[edurban]

I'm listening to the violin concerto (1913) on Dutton and it's just brilliant.  Lorraine McAslan is the soloist, Vernon Handley conducting.  I do not exagerate.  The slow movement is to die for, I mean, beautiful, beautiful.  Chock full of great tunes.  The whole thing is heroic and conceived on the grandest scale (37+ minutes).  Ironically, the two concertos for stringed instruments (violin, viola) strike me as rather more successful than the first three piano concertos (fun as they are...young Bowen doesn't seem to have always been able to restrain his delight in sheer display when writing for himself.) 

Everyone who loves Romantic violin concerti should have this disc.  This is the real deal...

David

[minacciosa]

Bowen's 4th Piano Concerto is to my ears a masterwork. it is his only truly mature piano concerto, the others being written in rather quick succession during a time when Bowen's style was still developing. While I do think the 3rd concerto is a wonderful listen, it still betrays a certain undigested eclecticism that Bowen was soon to absorb completely, as well as having the feel of a light music work rather light some Coleridge-Taylor. His mature music is unmistakeable for its endless and effortless harmonic invention, a gift for characterization and a feel for the arc of a piece no matter its size.

Terrific composer.