Given the string orchestra’s versatility and agreeable sound, and given the exceptional technical skills of today’s string players, it’s surprising that more works for this medium haven’t been written this century. Yes, there are some lovely English works by Elgar (Serenade; Elegy) and Vaughan Williams (Fantasia on a Theme by Thomas Tallis); a striking and deceptively difficult “student” work by Britten (Simple Symphony) and an early, minor masterpiece, Variations on a Theme of Frank Bridge; and some wonderful, gentlemanly pieces by Butterworth, Parry, Holst, and Bridge. Bartók wrote one tantalizing work (Divertimento), Sibelius added a few, and then there’s Richard Strauss’ Metamorphosen, Shostakovich’s Chamber Symphony, and Samuel Barber’s famous Adagio–a mere handful of pieces in the broad scheme.
Interestingly, there’s not a bad piece in the whole lot–and to this we can add English composer Alan Rawsthorne’s excellent Concerto for String Orchestra, an edgy, atmospheric, and thoroughly engrossing three-movement work that shows a comprehensive grasp of form and idiom. This is a great piece that should get lots of concert play. Likewise for the Light Music for Strings (which is exactly what its title says it is), and for the substantial and technically challenging Elegiac Rhapsody and the Suite for Recorder and String Orchestra, which here receives its recorded premiere. The performances demonstrate the exceptionally high level of virtuosity that can be found even from lesser-known orchestras. This disc is a real find–a perfect remedy for the “well-worn” and “all-too-familiar” syndrome.
