Sarah-Jane Bradley - Concerto pour alto - Symphonie n°2 (2013)

Matthew Taylor's sense of musical architecture extends the symphonic tradition of Sibelius and Nielsen into the modern age, also acknowledging the symphonism of Robert Simpson, an important influence on Taylor's style. The Second Symphony, first drafted when Taylor was only 27, responds to the challenge with a mighty explosion of energy, in a work his fellow-composer Robin Holloway described as 'exceedingly powerful — tough, cogent, persuasive, compelling'. The more inward, reflective Viola Concerto pays homage in spirit, though not in style, to Sibelius' Humoresker for violin and orchestra and Schumann's Humoreske for piano.

Sarah-Jane Bradley, viola
BBC Symphony Orchestra, orchestra
Garry Walker, conductor