This week Classical reviewer Geoff Adams listens to works by Maxwell Davies played by the Maggini Quartet, and recordings of live performances conducted by Sir William Southgate.
This is the fifth and final instalment of the 10-quartet cycle commissioned by Naxos. The 10th is a seemingly sweet but unfinished suite of Scottish dances - composer "leaving the door" open for more quartets?
But the ninth certainly lives up to a New York Times description of his musical idiom as "medieval mysticism, modernist rigour and happy accessibility".
The work is dedicated to former Lord Mayor of Manchester Dame Kathleen Ollerenshaw, who wrote a mathematical treatise on "magic squares", which underlie most of Davies' music.
Microtonal and vibrato effects suggest popular music of the 1940s and "glissandi" of bombs falling on Manchester. Davies linked these two from childhood memories.
Highlight: Maggini Quartets inspired playing in long first movement of No.9, the crowning glory of whole cycle.
This double set of discs features live performances conducted by Sir William Southgate. It makes a fine tribute by the CSO to its conductor laureate, the CSO's musical director since 1974.
Disc 1 opens with Beethoven's Egmont Overture, and continues with the second movement of his Piano Concerto No. 5 (Emperor) with Elen Rapoport, soloist, and then his full and glorious Symphony No. 5. It ends with Wagner's grand Overture, Die Meistersinger von Nurnberg.
Disc 2 has two major works: Brahms' Symphony No. 2 and Prokofiev's popular Suite from the Ballet "Romeo and Juliet". The items were all recorded live between 2001 and 2003. (Set distributed by Ode Records.)
Highlight: Performances of the two classic symphonies - Southgate at his best.
