Arnold Cooke (1906 - 2005) - Concerto in D for string orchestra • Jabez and the Devil – Suite from the Ballet • Symphony No. 1
London Philharmonic Orchestra, Nicholas Braithwaite, conductor
Label: Lyrita
Concerto recorded Henry Wood Hall, London on 6 February 1988 |
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Writing in the journal Musical Opinion in 1936, Havergal Brian hailed Arnold Cooke as one of the most promising young British composers of his time - and this on the basis of a few early chamber and orchestral works and the cantata Holderneth (1934), all of them at that time unpublished. In the ensuing years Cooke amply fulfilled the promise that Brian saw in him.Yet he never sought the limelight: he went on to create a substantial body of dramatic, orchestral, chamber, instrumental and vocal works whose quality is ever consistent and whose expressive impulses are almost always purely musical. Brian’s comparison of Cooke with Brahms, which must have seemed odd in 1936, now appears a prescient insight into the essential nature of this dedicated and craftsmanly composer.
"The finale is gripping and teeming with rhythmic bubbles ..." Rob Barnett, www.musicweb-international.com Click here to read the full review
"All the works here are played with real fire and commitment – performances that the composer would have surely been delighted with. A warmly recommended release and the Symphony is a real discovery." David Wordsworth, www.ClassicalSource.com Click here to read the full review
"The present recording is a great start to what must surely become a re-appraisal of Arnold Cooke’s orchestral and symphonic music ..." John France, www.musicweb-international.com Click here to read the full review |
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