PETER MAXWELL DAVIES (b.1934): Strathclyde Concertos No. 9, Op. 170 & No. 10, Op. 179, Carolísima, Op. 168.

Description: The ninth concerto is for a diverse concertante group of winds - the instruments that didn't previously get a concerto of their own. This unusual concept actually leads to a strikingly successful, colorfully shaded instrumental palette. The work was inspired by sea, clouds and sky around the composer's Orkney home, expressed in nature music containing as much Sibelian gesture as anything since the composer's second symphony. Hints of Scottish folk music are also present, and as these features suggest, the work revolves around well defined tonal centers. The final work in the cycle is, fittingly, a concerto for orchestra, virtuosically showcasing the entire ensemble. The three movements are turbulent; gently elegiac; and ebullient, with folk-dance associations. The serenade is very approachable, melodic and Scottish, as befits its origins as an occasional piece for a birthday celebration in Edinburgh. Scottish Chamber Orchestra; Peter Maxwell Davies. Original 1997 Collins Classics release.