Little-known British composers - an afternoon's shopping !

[cjvinthechair]

A productive afternoon's 'bargain hunting' in London (so sad, for those who know it, to see the demise of the HMV store in Oxford Street, almost the last 'large-scale' classical department in Britain, I think !) produced CDs, not from there I fear, of works by Thomas Armstrong, Roland Chadwick, John Metcalf & Ivan Moody, none of whom seem to be much represented on this site, or elsewhere. Also Christopher Gunning, who seems better 'charted'.
Anyone any feelings about their place in the musical sphere ? A few excerpts I've played to check the discs sound most pleasant !

[kyjo]

I have this now out-of-print Chandos disc of Thomas Armstrong's (1898-1994) music:



Despite his longevity, Armstrong was hardly a prolific composer. The works on this disc (which nearly constitute Armstrong's entire oeuvre!) are quite accomplished and are written in an instantly accessible, melodic vein. Chances are you'll enjoy this one!

These two discs of John Metcalf's (b. 1946) music from Nimbus and Signum are well worth acquiring:



His music is not particularly difficult listening either; melodic and atmospheric with a touch of minimalism here and there. The Cello Symphony in particular is a deep and impressive work :)

I am not familiar with either Roland Chadwick or Ivan Moody, though.

[Toby Esterhase]

A productive afternoon's 'bargain hunting' in London (so sad, for those who know it, to see the demise of the HMV store in Oxford Street, almost the last 'large-scale' classical department in Britain, I think !) produced CDs, not from there I fear, of works by Thomas Armstrong, Roland Chadwick, John Metcalf & Ivan Moody, none of whom seem to be much represented on this site, or elsewhere. Also Christopher Gunning, who seems better 'charted'.
Anyone any feelings about their place in the musical sphere ? A few excerpts I've played to check the discs sound most pleasant !

Christopher Gunning IMHO is surely  a concerning composer (Symphony,Yorkshire Glory) but this soundtrack is particularly enjoyable



P.S.
I love also Freemantle's books