Rawsthorne: Cello Concerto / Oboe Concerto / Symphonic Studies

"[Alan Rawsthorne] most significant works have only lately been finding their way to recordings, several world premieres having been released over the past few years, remarkably, by the budget label Naxos...

The cellist plies rapid, tarantella like motions against a dark and glacially paced background, punctuated by fragmentary waltz themes that seem to recall Berg's Wozzeck, of all things. Indeed, Rawsthorne's masterful use of texture creates a gripping narrative that stresses continuity and subtlety rather than flashy virtuosity. I find this work to be in many respects a more interesting counterpart to Walton's much more famous work in the same genre. Cellist Alexander Baillie projects the brooding and taxing...solo part with fluency and a lyrical tone. A fascinating release, in excellent sound; highly recommended."
- Fanfare (Christopher Williams), July/August2001

"The belated appearance of Alan Rawsthorne's Symphonic Studies, his finest orchestral work, on CD in a modern recording would be a cause for celebration even if the performance was disappointing; fortunately it is far from that. The RSNO under the authoritative direction of David Lloyd-Jones gives an assured and dedicated reading which reinforces the stature of this masterpiece. It is astonishing to reflect that this is the composer's first orchestral work so confident and masterly is the handling of his forces and so inspired and diverse is the material... Stephane Rancourt and Alexander Baillie play with a genuine feeling for the distinguished solo writing intheir respective concerti and there could be no better first recording imagined for these distinctive compositions. The Symphonic Studies is the key work here, however, and the intensely idiomatic performance of that piece makes this well-filled and superbly recorded disc self-recommending."
- British Music Society News (Paul Conway) March 2001