Gregson / London Brass / Gamba - Music of the Angels [CD]

This outstanding programme contains all of Edward Gregson's significant works for Symphonic Brass, including the seminal Brass Quintet, the Symphony in two movements and Music of the Angels. Edward Gregson is an English composer of international standing, and one of the leading composers of his generation, whose music has been performed, recorded, and broadcast in many countries. He has written orchestral, chamber, instrumental, vocal and choral music, as well as music for theatre and television, with his contribution to the wind and brass repertoire being of particular significance worldwide. He has been commissioned by many leading orchestras and ensembles, including the BBC Philharmonic, Royal Liverpool Philharmonic, and Halle orchestras, and has been nominated for both a British Composer's Award and an Ivor Novello Award. Edward Gregson writes in a highly approachable style, but within a challenging contemporary framework, often using 'traditional' forms such as sonata, variation, and fugue to encapsulate his ideas. He has a strong vein of lyrical expression and melody running through his music, but it is also often highly-charged, both rhythmically and texturally. He has been described as 'a superb craftsman, with great orchestral flair and genuine melodic gifts', and his music as being both 'gritty' and 'serene'. Another critic has remarked that 'his ability to suggest a world both familiar and strange is impressive.