The fourth volume of this diverse and instructive series presents itself as a "group portrait with a lady". In this installment, Douglas Bostock and the Southwest German Chamber Orchestra Pforzheim continue their exploration of British string music history. Representing the "fairer sex" among her colleagues is Imogen Holst, daughter of the renowned composer of The Planets. Of all the composers featured, she employs the most advanced musical language. Nevertheless, they are all united by a shared artistic ethos: they creatively follow in the footsteps of the old masters, devising various ways to bridge the spirit of past centuries with their own time. This may take shape as variations or as a musical monument, but more often than not, it unfolds "en suite" - with refined taste and that distinctly British sense of conservatism.

In this release, clarinetist Aldo Botta wanted to give his contribution in the popularization of solo clarinet pieces. It is a tribute to international renowned artists as well as others lesser-known, who have composed little musical masterpieces from both past and present literature. Some of them are from our own time, artists who are currently working on astonishing musical productions as clarinetists, performers and teachers. Their compositions – here available for the listener – all have a single common characteristic, which is the desire to convey the love for a very noble instrument: the clarinet.

Gordon Jacob’s Piano Concerto no.2 in E flat was completed in 1957 and premiered on 11 July of that year at the Winter Gardens, Bournemouth by the soloist Edith Vogel. A Proms performance took place at the Royal Albert Hall on 9 August 1957 with the same soloist. A review in The Times of the 1957 Proms performance of Gordon Jacob’s Piano Concerto No.2 declared that ‘the composer’s masterly understanding of the orchestra enables him to express each idea economically and in the most clean and attractive colours’, while The Sunday Times’ critic wrote that, ‘having taught the craft of orchestration to a whole generation of composers, Dr. Jacob is himself a past master at clear and effective scoring’.

Addison’s Variations for Piano and Orchestra was written in 1948 and revised the following year. According to Alan Poulton’s Dictionary-Catalog of Modern British Composers, It was first performed in a BBC broadcast in 1960 by Margaret Kitchin. The work is written for a small orchestra, comprising double woodwind, four horns, a pair each of trumpets and trombones, bass trombone, timpani, modest percussion and strings. Though the piano had played a prominent role in an earlier student piece by Rubbra, his Piano Concerto, Op.30 (1932) is the composer’s first fully-fledged, large-scale work for soloist and orchestra. The score features an elaborate solo part and requires substantial orchestral forces.

The present release is a collection of chamber works for viola by Gordon Jacob, composed between 1946 and 1975. Violist Jadwiga Stanek writes: "From the very beginning of my artistic activity, I have been particularly fond of promoting the viola and have been performing chamber music in various instrumental ensembles. Gordon Jacob's output shows my passion for performing various genres of that music in a special way. I appreciate the selected compositions of Jacob for the universal character of the viola part, since it's different faces, elements of virtuosity, and warm timbre have an impact on the versatile artistic value of the interpreted pieces."