MONTAGUE PHILLIPS
Piano Concerto No.1 in F sharp minor (1907)
Piano Concerto No.2 in E major, Op.32 (1919)

VICTOR HELY-HUTCHINSON
The Young Idea: rhapsody for piano & orchestra (1928)

David Owen Norris (piano)

BBC CONCERT ORCHESTRA
Gavin Sutherland (conductor)

World premiere recordings

Recorded at The Colosseum, Town Hall, Watford, 14-15 January 2008

The first two volumes of Montague Phillips's tuneful orchestral music were warmly received when issued by Dutton Epoch. Now here is the third volume, presenting both Piano Concertos. In the 1960s the second of these was often heard on the BBC, but the first has not been heard for more than ninety years, the music found after a search of the family attic. Both are brilliantly played by pianist David Owen Norris, and will delight all those who have revelled in Dutton Epoch's recordings of York Bowen's piano concertos (available on CDLX 7169 & CDLX 7187). This is tuneful and enjoyable music, exquisitely scored and taking us back to the Edwardian world from which Montague Phillips - the pinnacle of light music composers - came. These are substantial concertos, and it is hard to explain why such charming music is not in the regular repertoire. To complete the disc, Victor Hely-Hutchinson's short jazz concerto, The Young Idea, whirls us back to Billy Mayerl and the ballroom of the Savoy Hotel in the late 1920s.

CDLX 7206

"Two great finds get full-blooded performances: note to Prom organisers."
"Purely for sound quality, this third disc in Dutton's welcome exploration of Montague Phillips's music must qualify as an award-winner. It is a sumptuous, full-blooded recording with a richly resonant bass (Michael Ponder and Dexter Newman in the Town Hall, Watford) matched by the soloist's powerful Fazioli.
Both concertos are real finds. I can only repeat my oft-expressed mystification why such works have been left to gather dust."
Jeremy Nicolas, Gramophone, August 2008