COMPOSERS: Tippett
LABELS: Chandos
WORKS: Symphony No. 1; Piano Concerto
PERFORMER: Howard Shelley (piano)Bournemouth SO/Richard Hickox
CATALOGUE NO: CHAN 9333 DDD
Hickox completes his Tippett symphony cycle with the earliest of the four (1945), a work in which the abundant lyricism of The Midsummer Marriage is still fully to be released. This is emphasised in Hickox’s finely recorded reading, which sounds rhythmically a little too strait-laced. The concerto, with its juxtaposition of serenity and jazziness, is better, with Shelley an absorbing soloist. Matthew Rye
Tippett: Symphony No. 1; Piano Concerto
Hickox completes his Tippett symphony cycle with the earliest of the four (1945), a work in which the abundant lyricism of The Midsummer Marriage is still fully to be released. This is emphasised in Hickox’s finely recorded reading, which sounds rhythmically a little too strait-laced. The concerto, with its juxtaposition of serenity and jazziness, is better, with Shelley an absorbing soloist. Matthew Rye
Published: January 20, 2012 at 3:14 pm