JOHN VEALE (1922-2006): Violin Concerto, GEORGE DYSON (1883-1964): Violin Concerto, ARTHUR BLISS (1881-1975): Violin Concerto, ARNOLD BAX (1883-1953): Violin Concerto.

Description: A brilliant job of repackaging, this disc brings four very approachable late Romantic and post-Romantic English violin concertos. The most obscure is the 1984 Veale, conservative for its time but utterly captivating in every way, reminding us again of what a fine composer was crushed under the William Glock reign at the BBC. This was also the first recording of the 1941 Dyson, a big work in four movements lasting 43 minutes notable for its 20 minute long brooding, elegiac first movement and the sheer joy of its scherzoish second movement and sunny, vigorous finale. Written between 1953-55, Bliss in his concerto chose to highlight particular aspects of playing for which the soloist, Campoli, was known - a singing, bel canto, beauty of tone and phrasing (especially in the first movement and the slow portion of the finale) and "wonderful command of spiccato" (in the fast, in modo zingaro, portion of the finale). An airy scherzo, inspired by Berlioz' "Queen Mab" music, is the center movement of a very large-scale, Romantic work of over 41 minutes. 2 CDs. Lydia Mordkovitch (violin). Original 1991, 1995, 2001 and 2006 releases.