Search - William Alwyn, Richard Hickox, London Symphony Orchestra :: Alwyn: Symphony No. 5 "Hydriotaphia"; Sinfonietta for Strings; Piano Concerto No. 2

This is a major release in Chandos's series of Alwyn symphonies, particularly because of the generous inclusions of the Sinfonietta for Strings and the Second Piano Concerto. The Sinfonietta is a 1970 composition that employs Alwyn's own 12-tone technique, but the overall effect--because of the strings--is one of an almost naked beauty. The Sinfonietta, perhaps more than any other composition of Alwyn's later years, tows a strict Modernist line and it's clear here that Alwyn doggedly wants to look to the future rather than languish in a romantic past. He is the bridge to the current postmoderns Tippett and Maxwell Davies. --Paul Cook