Robert Docker (1918-92), one of the most respected composers of British light music, was an accomplished keyboard player and violist. His inside knowledge shows in his expert scoring for both soloists and orchestra in works such as Legend, a mock-classical rhapsody for piano and orchestra along the lines of the more familiar Dream of Olwen by Charles Williams. This is excitingly played by pianist William Davies, who brings equal passion and persuasion to the more extensive Pastiche Variations for piano and orchestra, in which Docker pays homage to Rachmaninov, Grieg, and many other favorite composers. The little suite for Oboe and Strings is jolly good fun, too, with a bustling opening movement, a poignant, lyrical middle-movement romance, and a rollicking final Rondolet. Whether the requirement is virtuoso passage work or floating a long melodic line, oboist David Presley is up to the task. Barry Knight leads lively, idiomatic performances and after a somewhat shaky beginning, the orchestra plays well for him. All of the fine artistry on this CD is almost undone by a mediocre recording, which has little mid-frequency presence and lacks bass, a somewhat surprising fact since the producer is listed as veteran Brian Culverhouse.
