Malcolm Arnold's (1921-2006) contribution to the legacy of 20th-century concertos is of great significance. As a professional trumpet player himself – both in the BBC Symphony Orchestra and the London Philharmonic Orchestra as principal – he personally knew many leading players of the time. Many were close friends and, as a result of his desire both to share music and bring to life his famous assertion that ‘music is an act of friendship’, we have been left with a collection of concertos for virtually every instrument.
Malcolm Arnold: Concertos for Brass
Horn Concertos
The First Horn Concerto was written in 1945 for his colleague and friend Charles Gregory, chairman and principal horn in the LPO. It’s the longest of his concertos and combines beautiful pastoral writing in the outer movements, with a heartfelt Mahlerian slow movement that symbolises Arbold’s grief for the victims of the war that had just recently ended. There was to be a Second Horn Concerto, in 1957, for his great friend, the celebrated Dennis Brain. It is a demanding work which fully exploits the instrument in a way that only a fellow brass player could really imagine. Sadly, Brain only gave it one performance, six weeks before a fatal car accident.
Trumpet Concerto
Malcolm Arnold’s other contribution in the brass department, is the concerto for his own instrument, the trumpet, written over a period of three years (1979-81) when the composer was not in the best of health. Nonetheless, it is a highly attractive work, with much characteristic ebullient ‘Arnold’ and a lovely slow movement that contains a major role for the harp. Though conceived for John Wilbraham, the first performance was in fact given by John Wallace.
Malcolm Arnold: Concertos for Wind
Clarinet Concertos
1948 saw the First of Arnold’s two very popular clarinet concertos. It was written for Frederick (Jack) Thurston – a close friend and recipient of many works by the composer. The Second was written in 1974 for Benny Goodman and has become one of Arnold’s most popular. It is a perfect amalgamation of all the various strands that influenced and interested him – the contemporary style of the time, film music and jazz – all integrated together to produce the inimitable ‘Arnold’ flavour.
Oboe and Flute Concertos
The beautiful and pastoral Oboe Concertowas written for Léon Goossens in 1952, and there are two flute concertos both written for Richard Adeney – the First in 1954 and the Second in 1972. Both are consummate show pieces that demonstrate a deep understanding of what the instrument can do. The first also contains one of Arnold’s most alluring of slow movements – maybe helping to make it very popular among audiences. Adeney played it many times and commissioned a second with which he was very pleased. It’s a fine thoughtful work with echoes of Shostakovich – a composer whom Arnold much admired.
Recorder Concerto
There’s also a late Recorder Concerto written in 1988 for the world renowned Michala Petri. Though small in scale the Recorder Concerto is a remarkably inventive work – light, witty and immediately accessible.
Malcolm Arnold: Concertos for Strings
Concerto for Violins
The Concerto for Two Violins is an undoubted masterpiece. Composed in 1962 and written for Yehudi Menuhin and his pupil Alberto Lysy. Possibly Bach’s wonderful work for the same forces was in Arbold’s mind, but whatever the catalyst, this has become one of his most loved works in this genre. It is full of neo-classical contrapuntal dialogue between the soloists, and the soloists with the orchestra and includes a serenely spacious Andantino that scales the heights of beauty. The first performance was met with such enthusiasm from the audience that the entire work was repeated as an encore.
Concerto for Viola
Arnold also wrote a very attractive Concerto for Viola for Roger Best in 1971, the final work in his Cornish period. This confident and positive work is full of charming melodic invention, energy and wit, and again a highly appealing slow movement. Perhaps a kind of elegy for all the happiness he had known in the years he spent living in Cornwall.
Malcolm Arnold: Concertos for Keyboard
Piano Concertos
Arnold produced three works for keyboard – one for organ and two featuring the piano, the first of which is for the unusual arrangement of four hands at one piano. Written in 1951, the Concerto for Piano Duet is a very tuneful and engaging work and was first performed by Paul Hamburger and Helen Pyke. The work is full of colourful technical display and much attractive melodic writing.
The Concerto for Two Pianos (Three Hands) and Orchestra was written for the legendary three-handed husband and wife team of Phyllis Sellick and Cyril Smith in 1969. Unashamedly popular in style, the concerto contrasts moments of darkness with meltingly romantic melodies. The Finale is a brilliantly witty and uplifting rumba.
Organ Concerto
The Organ Concerto, dating to 1954, was written to celebrate the opening of the Royal Festival Hall’s new organ designed by Ralph Downes with influences from both Continental and Baroque style instruments. The Australian organist Denis Vaughan commissioned the work which is written for a Handelian style orchestra of strings, three trumpets and timpani. It’s a delightful work which is gradually gaining interest among organists.
Malcolm Arnold: Concertos for Harmonica, Guitar… and diner and waiter
In addition to these, Arnold also wrote concertos for two less common soloists – the harmonica and guitar, as well as his very witty Concerto Gastronomique where the soloists are an eater and a waiter!
Harmonica Concerto
The iconic Larry Adler was the dedicatee of the Harmonica Concertoand the work was commissioned by the BBC for a Prom concert for their Diamond Jubilee season in 1954. Though the accompanying orchestra is large, the balance works well, and this short nine-minute concerto is pure joy.
Guitar Concerto
The Guitar Concerto was written for the great Julian Bream in 1959 and represented the first by a British composer. It’s one of Arnold’s most charming works – Bream was delighted with it, and it has become one of Arnold’s most popular concertos.
Grand Concerto Gastronomique
The Grand Concerto Gastronomique for eater, waiter and food was written for and first performed at the 1961 Hoffnung Festival – its six movements each represent a course in what is clearly a veritable banquet. It comes with copious amounts of humour.
The 20th Malcolm Arnold Festival
These concertos signify a very important contribution to British music, and all are to be performed live at this year’s 20th Malcolm Arnold Festival in the composer’s hometown of Northampton over the course of the weekend 18-19 October 2025.
Information about the Festival can be found on the website from where tickets can also be purchased. Admittance for Under 18s and Students is FREE.
Biographical Note
Paul Harris is a composer and clarinettist as well as one of the UK's leading educationalists and authors. He is Malcolm Arnold's co-biographer and the founder-director of the Malcolm Arnold Festival, which presents the composer's genre in an accessible and enriching format and provides a platform for both professional and student musicians to perform the composer’s works.
