Classical Explorations — June 2025

Grace-Evangeline Mason
Beneath the Silken Silence
An emerging talent in the classical music scene is composer Grace-Evangeline Mason. Having won the BBC Young Composer of the Year 2013 and Royal Philharmonic Society Composition Prize 2018, Mason went on to study at the Royal Northern College of Music, Oxford University and Royal Academy of Music. Beneath the silken silence is an orchestral work based on the poem, The Faery Forest by Sara Teasdale (1884-1933). The piece draws inspiration from the imagery and rhythm of the poem. This is a compelling work, marked by vivid contrasts: gentle, dreamlike strings are set against bold, punctuating brass, woodwinds, and percussion. I especially like the inclusion of tuned percussion, which adds an ethereal quality to the work.

Moritz Moszkowski
Trois Morceaux Poétiques, Op 42: ii. Siciliano
It’s hard to deny the wonderful musicianship of the pianist Stephen Hough. He is celebrated for his remarkable technical skill and the emotional depth he brings to performances. His recent release The Piano Collection sees two hours of music with everything from Bach to Britten. It was however the charming Siciliano from the Trois Morceaux Poétiques, Op 42 which caught my attention on this release. The expressive quality of his playing here is rather wonderful.  

Mathieu Alvado
Asterix and Obelix: The Big Fight 
The London Symphony Orchestra has a strong association with film music, making it arguably the most significant orchestra in the history of the genre. Their involvement began as early as the 1920s, when they performed live for silent films such as The Three Musketeers (1921) and The Nibelungs (1924), but their true revolution came in 1935 with the landmark recording of Sir Arthur Bliss’s score for Things to Come. This marked the first time a full symphony orchestra was commissioned specifically for a film in the UK, elevating the status of film music and setting a new standard for the industry. I was therefore curious to hear this new release for Netflix recently. Asterix and Obelix: The Big Fight is a French animated series released this year, based on the classic comic book story by René Goscinny and Albert Uderzo. The series consists of five episodes and is directed by Alain Chabat, known for his work on previous Asterix adaptations. I was especially intrigued by the postproduction audio treatment. The brass section seems slightly more muted than in John Williams’ famous film scores – a quality that, interestingly, was one of the things that attracted Williams to the LSO.

J.S. Bach
Cello Suite No.6 in D Major – Sarabande
In April this year, I featured the South African musician Abel Selaocoe with his wonderful track that merged African tradition into his music. I was therefore delighted to hear this wonderful arrangement he has made of a Bach cello suite for cello and ensemble. It certainly brings a fresh and soulful feel to the piece, but purists might want to look away, I think his arrangement does sweeten Bach’s melancholy somewhat. But as I have always said, the music of Bach is so good, it can be adapted and still sound sublime – and sublime this is.

Gordon Jacob
Suite for Bassoon and String Quartet
Gordon Jacob’s relative obscurity stems from a combination of being overshadowed by his arranging work, shifts in musical fashion toward modernism, his late start in composition due to war service, and his focus on educational and accessible music rather than avant-garde experimentation. He studied and later taught at the Royal College of Music, authored influential orchestration textbooks, and composed over 700 pieces, remaining active until shortly before his death. This wonderful new release of music for bassoon on Hyperion, entitled Honey-Coloured Cow. Performed by the British bassoonist Laurence Perkins, there is a brilliant showcase for the instrument with City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra, pianist John Flinders and the Carducci String Quartet. It is the Gordon Jacob which caught my attention – that along with a silly but rather wonderful bassoon quartet called Pigs by Alan Ridout – a present for none other than Gordon Jacob!

Jan Křtitel Vaňhal
Symphony in G Minor: i. Allegro moderato
Jan Křtitel Vaňhal (1739–1813) was a Czech composer of the Classical era. Born in Nechanice, Bohemia, he rose from humble origins to become a leading symphonist in Vienna, admired by Mozart and Haydn. Vaňhal composed over 70 symphonies and numerous chamber, keyboard, and sacred works. Vaňhal’s Symphony in G minor was composed in the 1760s and is has much imagination for a piece of this era. The backdrop to this symphony is the composer making his way in the great city of Vienna, trying to be noticed by the elite music circles and orchestras maintained by the nobility.

Einojuhani Rautavaara
Symphony No. 7 (Angel of Light) – i. Tranquillo
Einojuhani Rautavaara’s Symphony No. 7, subtitled Angel of Light, is one of the most celebrated orchestral works by Finland’s leading composer after Jean Sibelius. Composed in 1994 and premiered by the Bloomington Symphony Orchestra, the symphony was originally conceived as a celebration of that ensemble’s 25th anniversary, but its spiritual and thematic content quickly transcended its origins. Angel of Light is a central work in Rautavaara’s “angel series,” a group of orchestral compositions inspired by childhood dreams and mystical visions, each bearing the word “angel” in its title. Rautavaara’s fascination with the mystical and the numinous is evident throughout the symphony, which explores Finnish traditions of mysticism and the composer’s personal sense of spirituality. The work is infused with a sense of wonder and otherworldliness, evoking both the ethereal and the sublime.

Margaret Brouwer
Rhapsody, Concerto for Orchestra
Margaret Brouwer (b. 1940) is an acclaimed American composer and educator, recognised for her lyrical, emotionally resonant music blending contemporary idioms with melody. Formerly a professional violinist, she founded the Blue Streak Ensemble and served as head of composition at the Cleveland Institute of Music. Written in 2009, the Rhapsody, Concerto for Orchestra was later revised in 2021 and released last year on Naxos by one of my all-time hero conductors, Marin Alsop. The piece is a vivid showcase of orchestral colour and described by the composer as a love letter to the orchestra. There is a wonderful shift from lyrical transparency to rhythmic exuberance from the principal seats in the orchestra.

Frigyes Hidas
Concerto Semplice: iii. Allegro
Wind orchestra music remains a genre with relatively few commercial releases, often hindered by perceptions that associate it primarily with amateur ensembles or military bands. Nonetheless, significant progress has been seen, most notably through releases on the Chandos and Naxos labels. I was therefore delighted to hear of this new release by the much-underrated Hungarian composer Frigyes Hidas (1928–2007). The concerto is not so dissimilar to Gerald Finzi’s Five Bagatelles with its melodic invention and idiomatic writing for the clarinet. The wind orchestra accompaniment provides colourful support, often highlighting individual sections and creating a rich, orchestral texture. Peter Cigleris plays the concerto here with much sincerity and fun. The Győr Symphonic Band accompany Cigleris sensitively and colourfully under the baton of Ferenc Szabó.

Joaquín Rodrigo
Adagio for Wind Orchestra
Having made reference to good wind music releases in the last piece, I wanted to include something from the Chandos’ back catalogue. Rodrigo is most famous for his classical guitar music, particularly the Concierto de Aranjuez, composed in 1939 but his wonderful Adagio for Wind Orchestra is his only piece written for winds and is just as charming. The piece has a distinctly Spanish atmosphere through the use of evocative harmonies and melodies reminiscent of Spanish folk music. Rodrigo sought to bring Spanish music into the 20th century without relying on modernist techniques, instead drawing from traditional Spanish forms and timbres.

Giovanni Palestrina
Music for Maundy Thursday: i. incipit
Palestrina's Music for Maundy Thursday in this recording by Musica Contexta is very special to me and would feature on my “Dessert Island Discs”. As a youngster, I had a job for a local chemist, delivering medication to the housebound. All the money earned went to buying music and this was one of the first albums I bought. Just imagine the value that music had on me – hard to see this now in an age of streaming! The gorgeous blend of sound here from Musica Contexta with Palestrina’s sublime polyphony and exquisite vocal textures is just magic. So if I find myself cast away on a desert island, this album would be my indispensable companion, a source of solace and profound beauty that connects me to my earliest musical awakenings and continues to nourish my passion for sacred and classical music. And to follow the Dessert Island Discs format, I’d take a copy of William Golding’s Lord of the Flies and a Swiss Army Knife.

William Walton
Symphony No.1: i. Allegro assai
William Walton wrote only two symphonies, the First Symphony completed in 1935 and the Second Symphony completed in 1960, due to a combination of personal temperament, changing creative priorities, and the challenges he faced as a composer. Walton was described by David Russell Hulme, editor of his critical editions, as "reluctant and perhaps temperamentally disinclined to travel the same road twice." He rarely composed more than one major concert or stage work in any genre, preferring to explore new ideas rather than revisit old ones. The Symphony No.1 was written during a turbulent time for Walton, marked by break up of a love affair and writers block. The sense of emotional urgency and drama in this opening movement is utterly moving and what many youths might describe today as “proper sick”!

Constant Lambert
Concerto for Piano and 9 Players: i. Overture
Lambert's early promise as a composer was not sustained throughout his career. After initial successes, such as The Rio Grande (1929), he completed only a handful of major works in his later years, notably the ballets Horoscope (1938) and Tiresias (1951), and the choral work Summer's Last Will and Testament (1935). Much of his energy shifted to conducting and music criticism, particularly as music director for the Vic-Wells Ballet (known today as Sadler’s Wells), which limited his compositional output. The Concerto for Piano and Nine Players (1931) stands as one of his most original and introspective works, often cited as his masterpiece. Written in the wake of personal tragedy, the suicide of his close friend, composer Peter Warlock, the concerto is imbued with a sense of disquiet and emotional complexity, combining elements of jazz, classical tradition, and modernist experimentation.

Alexis Ffrench
Jesu, Joy of Mans Desiring
Alexis Ffrench stands out for blending classical music with soul, R&B, and contemporary influences, creating a genre often described as "Classical-Soul". His ability to merge classical technique with modern rhythms and melodies makes his music accessible and appealing to a broad audience, including listeners who may not typically engage with traditional classical music. This arrangement of J.S. Bach’s renowned cantata is deeply personal, serene, and exquisitely expressive. Given Bach was a renowned improvisor, I wonder what the big man would think of this. I’d be very interested in your thoughts – do leave comments at the bottom!