Steuart Bedford
opens this Britten disc from Naxos (originally released on Collins
Classics) with a corker. The Occasional
Overture was composed in 1946 for the opening of the
BBC Third Programme. The performance here is exemplary –
precise and vivacious, gloriously snappy in the snappy parts
yet lyrical in the gentler sections. The London Symphony
Orchestra clearly appreciate this
fun work, especially the playful ending.
The Variations
on a Theme of Frank Bridge follows – a work written
in 1937 in honour of Britten’s teacher, the outstanding
British composer Frank Bridge, with a theme taken from Bridge’s
Idyll Op 6 No.
2. Bedford gives another perfect performance
here – sensitive yet energetic, capturing the driving rhythms
extremely well. The English Chamber Orchestra give
pleasingly virtuosic solos, with beautifully sheer strings
and excellent intonation throughout.
It is good to hear a slightly less well-known work
in the form of the Prelude
and Fugue – especially given such a faultless performance!
The eighteen-part fugue means an individual line for each
member of the eighteen-strong orchestra. The players of
the English Chamber Orchestra are therefore given a good
opportunity to show off their skills, which they do with
relish.
The disc concludes with the Young person’s guide to the Orchestra. Again, I couldn’t really find
anything much to fault here. The work is given an aptly
dignified opening, and the piece has real pizzazz. The woodwind
could possibly be a little lighter – they are just slightly
earth-bound in places, although the flutes in Variation A (“The flutes”) are suitably
airy, dizzy, fluffy and rushing. The percussion is delightfully
enthusiastic, the brass is spectacular, and the violins dance
and sparkle. The individual instruments are beautifully
idiosyncratic, and would appear to be enjoying their time
in limelight thoroughly. I wholeheartedly recommend this
disc.
Em Marshall
see also Review
by Kevin Sutton
English Chamber Orchestra (Variations
and Prelude and Fugue), London Symphony Orchestra
(Occasional Overture and Young Person’s Guide), Steuart Bedford
