Naxos rightly lists Lyell Creswell (b.1944) as ''one of New Zealand's most distinguished composers''.
Based in Britain for many years, he has won honours and esteem. Concerto for Piano and Orchestra in seven short movements is an inventive, haunting expression of grief for a fellow composer, from opening Funeral March to final Presto.
Orchestra (conductor Hamish McKeich) and soloist revel in the music.
I Paesaggi dell'anima (Landscapes of the Soul) links music with art to paint some imaginary landscapes, but I preferred his exploring in Concerto for Orchestra and String Quartet which moves from solo statements to quartet interplay and finally a unanimous voice with full orchestra - quite ingenious composing.
Highlight: Modern experimental concertos
This is the second release by the quartet consisting of cellist and viola player from the NZ Symphony Orchestra and two violinists based in Britain.
Featured are the well-known Ravel String Quartet in F major and Tchaikovsky's String Quartet No.1 in D major, followed by a delectable Romance by Rachmaninov as a filler (extracted from his String Quartet No.1)
The disc, recorded in England last year, is capably performed, with the gentle grace of Ravel's first movement followed by the pizzicato second movement, a little slower than some performances.
The Tchaikovsky is rather more captivating, with its Andante Cantabile second movement followed by the folksy Scherzo before a well-paced Finale.
The Romance makes a nice encore - at 64 minutes there was room for another.
Highlight: Excellent chamber music
