Search - Samuel [Composer] Coleridge-Taylor, Frederic H. Cowen, Douglas Bostock :: Cowen: Symphony No. 6 in E major 'The idyllic'; Coleridge-Taylor: Symphony in A minor

For Collectors of British Music

P. Edwin | Fukushima, Japan | 06/23/2007

(4 out of 5 stars)

"There is no hidden masterpiece here. This is pleasant late Victorian British music played pleasantly. Cowen was one of those gifted children who played piano and composed at a young age. Ho wrote six symphonies, numerous oratorios, operas and operettas, chamber music, but a lot of his music has not survived. The sixth symphony has no surprises. It is tuneful and easy on the ear. The first movement is especially pleasing.

Coleridge-Taylor is better represented on disc. This symphony is a student work, and while it gives some insight into his better known scores, it remains a student work.

I personally enjoy listening to neglected British composers, and make a habit of collecting these neglected works when they appear on disc, and for those with a similar disposition, there is some light, but charming music here to be enjoyed. Good, closely recorded orchestra sound, which suits this music. It probably rates four and a half stars."