BBC Symphony Orchestra Composers Ensemble
Simon Bainbridge, conductor
London Sinfonietta
Michael Tilson Thomas, conductor
Walter Trampler, viola
Repertoire
Simon Bainbridge: Fantasia for Double Orchestra
Simon Bainbridge: Viola Concerto
Simon Bainbridge: Concertante in moto perpetuo
Fantasia for Double Orchestra, in three continuous movements, was written for two identical “mirror-image” orchestras, which are placed to the left and right of the performance area. Much use is made of percussion, with the timpani player placed in the centre of the two orchestras, creating an unusual and constantly varying kaleidoscopic effect in the music.
The central work on the disc is the composer’s Viola Concerto, commissioned by Walter Trampler who performs here with the London Sinfonietta under the distinguished conductor Michael Tilson Thomas.
The whole is beautifully and atmospherically recorded, and with notes by the composer and his long time friend and mentor Oliver Knussen, the authority of the disc is beyond question. Lovers of the contemporary English music scene cannot afford to ignore it, and those who are curious or adventurous will not be disappointed.MusicWeb International