Both of these concertos were written in the first decade of the last century for Lionel Tertis, the great British violist, and both are quite marvelous. The more conservative and marginally earlier of the two (1904 as opposed to 1908) is Cecil Forsyth’s, with its Appassionato first-movement introduction recalling Max Bruch, and a theme in the finale clearly arising from the school of Dvorák. Still, it’s a very well made piece, excellently orchestrated, and finely written for the soloist. Lawrence Power brings plenty of energy and character to the solo part. He’s keenly attuned to the fact that both of these concertos are written in minor keys, and he makes the most of the resulting opportunities for drama in the opening movements.
Anyone familiar with York Bowen’s piano and chamber music will not be surprised by the excellence of his Viola Concerto, even though he was a youngster of 24 when he wrote it. The style is closer to that of Bax and Bantock, with a shimmer of impressionism here and there, and some particularly opulent scoring for harp. The scale of the piece is surprisingly large. Its three movements of roughly equal length play for a little more than 35 minutes, but they never sound excessively long. It would be very nice to hear more of Bowen’s orchestral music, and I’m surprised that labels such as Chandos and Hyperion have yet to get around to it, save for this single work.
Again, the performance is all you could reasonably ask, and in this work especially the colorful accompaniments under Martyn Brabbins’ watchful baton come into their own. It really is a joy to listen to. You’ll love the finale in particular, with its delicate use of percussion and feisty exchanges between solo and orchestra. Ideally warm, well-balanced sound completes a release of truly unusual distinction.
