Britten: Simple Symphony; Temporal Variations; A Charm of Lullabies; Lachrymae; Suite on English Folk Tunes. Nicholas Daniel, oboe, Philip Dukes, viola, Catherine Wyn-Rogers, mezzo-soprano. Northern Sinfonia conducted by Steuart Bedford – Naxos 8.557205 (72 minutes).

Benjamin Britten (1913-1976) is undoubtedly the greatest English composer of the 20th century. He is also one of the most enigmatic personalities to have graced British musical life, and his works and very odd behaviour continue to fuel debate.

Britten started to compose at a very early age, and all throughout his life he remained attached to these early pieces which consisted mainly of songs, piano, chamber and orchestral works. Indeed, from time to time he always tried to revive some of these early efforts into a new more substantial version, and very often a work attained popularity due to this reworking process.

The 1934 Simple Symphony is a classic case, where some of those early tunes were transformed into something more fit for general consumption. The original 1950 version of Lachrymae was for viola and piano (as heard on this recording), but in the last year of his life Britten wrote a version for string orchestra. The Temporal Variations for oboe and piano and A Charm of Lullabies for mezzo-soprano and orchestra date from 1936 and 1947 respectively. Both works went down well with audiences, but critics had their usual reservations, especially with the Variations, and Britten was compelled to withdraw the work, which was never to be performed in his lifetime. In the early Nineties the composer Colin Matthews orchestrated and arranged the two works, and since then one has become more appreciative of Britten’s subtle genius and method of compositon.

The English Folk Song Suite is his very last purely orchestral work. Written in 1974 soon after the composer’s unsuccessful heart operation, it is totally removed from sentimentality and a mood of fore­boding weighs heavily on the music.

This CD should appeal mainly to Britten admirers, but those who like to experiment in off-the-beaten-track repertoire should find much to enjoy. Performances and sonics are first-rate.

Bottesini: Works for double bass and piano. Thomas Martin, double bass, Anthony Halstead, piano, Jacquelyn Fugelle, soprano – Naxos 8.570399 (72 minutes).

Born in Crema, Northern Italy, on December 22, 1821, Giovanni Bottesini became known as the ‘Paganini of the double bass’. His musical education began at the age of five when he studied the violin with his uncle, but he also sang in church choirs and played the timpani in several local orchestras. His big breakthrough came at the age of 13, when his father asked him to apply for a scholarship at the Milan Conservatory. The young Giovanni chose the double bass over the bassoon not because he had some particular attraction for it, but because his knowledge of stringed instruments was already at an advanced stage.

During his audition, after just four lessons with Luigi Rossi, he mesmerised the jury with his general musicianship, who could not help overlook his lack of technique and recommend him to further his studies of the instrument. Thus began Bottesini’s love-affair with the double bass, an association that was to bring him fame and fortune during his long and varied career which took him all over Europe.

Double bass apart, the composer was also a highly accomplished and respected conductor of opera, and during the intermission of the evening’s entertainment he would often perform fantasies on the work being performed. Two such pieces based on Donizetti’s Lucia di Lammermoor and Bellini’s Beatrice di Tenda are virtuosic tours de force in which the complex double bass figurations imitate the coloratura vocal writing of the day.

Both are included on this recording which also features six other pieces that are no less enthralling. The Romanza drammatica, Capriccio di bravura and Grande Allegro di Concerto are particularly exciting, while an Elegie in D, a Romanza for soprano and double bass obbligato and an Introduzione e bolero complete an issue of spectacular virtuosity and intensity. Performances are a constant source of admiration and awe-inspiring fingerwork, and the adrenalin is consistently high and flowing. Unmiss-able stuff in sumptuous sound quality and attractive if simple presentation.

Alfven: Suites: Synnove of Solbakken and A Country Tale; Elegie. Norkopping Symphony Orchestra, conducted by Niklas Willen – Naxos 8.557828 (73 minutes).

Although in his native Sweden Hugo Alfven (1872-1960) is only second in importance to Franz Berwald, his music has never been widely heard internationally. His first studies were at the Conservatoire, following which he played the violin in the opera orchestra for two years.

With this invitation over, he devoted himself to composition, and very soon his first two symphonies, in F Minor and D Major, appeared in 1897 and 1898. The latter was very well received at its Stockholm premiere, and almost overnight, Alfven became a household name.

Over the next 25 years his output grew steadily, and by the time of his death in 1960 aged 88 the composer had amassed a considerable catalogue of works covering nearly all musical genres, including film music.

This disc includes two suites drawn from two film scores Alfven composed during the Thirties and Forties, and although the films were not so successful, Alfven’s music was widely praised. Both pieces are inspired by Swedish folk melodies and the tunes continually evoke the spectacular countryside, with a mix of bucolic rhythms and sad pastoral sounds thrown in for good measure.

In the Elegie, Alfven pays tribute to fellow composer Emil Sjogren (1853-1918), and the sombre mood of the piece not only displays the composer’s ability at tone painting, but also Alfven’s deep artistic affinity with Sweden’s cultural inheritance. It is also a foretaste of what was to come in the Fourth Symphony which he wrote soon afterwards.

Willen and his brilliant Norkopping Symphony are the perfect advocates of these works, and in their hands all of Alfven’s imaginative orchestration and penchant for colour and invention are brought out in masterly fashion. A hugely attractive issue full of exciting romanticism. Sound and notes are first-rate.

These CDs were made available for review by D’Amato Record Shop of 98/99 St John Street, Valletta.