Customer Reviews

Arnold: Little Suite Nos. 1 & 2/Concerto For 28 Players/Variations For Orchestra/A Manx Suite

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I must thank the Third Ear guide or I would have heard about this cd. All of these pieces are from the mature part of his life and display the tecnical mastery and humor found in his symphonies. The concerto fpr 28 players is one masterpiece which is compsed seially and has moments maked by sharp dissonance combined with breaks for more melodious sound and syncopations typical of Stravinsky.
The Variations for Orchestra are based on a coronation march by one of Arnold's students Ruth Gipps. I consider yhis another masterpiece of Arnold even tough it is only 11 minutes. The variations are enchatingly beautiful and well performed. by hickox. As soon as i finished playing this I was so awestruck that I immediately replayed it. This cd belong in the collection of all classical music lovers. please excuse typos i have a neurolicic disese.

As much as I like Malcolm Arnold, I do not really care for sampler disks. It was with great delight, then, that I came across this recording, which can have much the same effect as a sampler disk--to interest newcomers in the music of Malcolm Arnold--but which contains whole works that have not been recorded elsewhere. The Malcolm Arnold devotee will recognize the Arnold touch in the first few minutes of this CD; indeed, the opening bars of Little Suite No. 1 are like a little synopsis of his symphonic sound. This delightful recording can be recommended to all, because those who already have many recordings of Malcolm Arnold will want to hear the two recording premieres (the Manx Suite and the Ruth Gipps Variations--two entertaining and rewarding compositions), while those unfamiliar with Arnold's music will find this recording an excellent introduction to his style, and as a bonus, the sound quality is impeccable.