Sir Andrew Davis, conductor

BBC Philharmonic

Guy Johnston, cello

Holst: A Winter Idyll, H 31

Holst: Symphony 'The Cotsworlds', Op. 8, H 47

Holst: Invocation, Op. 19, No. 2, H 75

Holst: A Moorside Suite, H 173

Holst: Indra, Op. 13, H 66

Holst: Scherzo, H 192

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Five years after the highly-praised release of Volume 3, Sir Andrew Davis returns to his exploration of Holst’s orchestral works with the brilliant BBC Philharmonic, a series initiated almost ten years ago by the late Richard Hickox, then taken over by another expert in British repertoire.

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This selection of orchestral works by Holst provides a remarkable overview of his career, ranging from such early works as A Winder Idyll – composed in 1897 when he was still studying at the Royal College of Music – to the Scherzo of a symphony on which he was working towards the end of his life. None of the music recorded here was published in his lifetime, and the Scherzo – rarely heard though it is – is the only work to have entered the repertoire. ‘A Moorside Suite’, originally written for brass band, is featured here in the composer's rarely heard arrangement for strings.

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The young British cellist and Classical BRIT winner Guy Johnston is the soloist in Invocation, one of Holst’s most significant works, calling for a subtle balance of virtuosity and expressive qualities.

CD | 2018 | CHANDOS