During the 1930s, Arthur Bliss, Benjamin Britten, and Lennox Berkeley all contributed major works to the repertoire for string orchestra, following in the footsteps of Edward Elgar and Ralph Vaughan Williams. They are joined on this album by Frank Bridge whose Lament was composed during the First World War. This is the fourth recording by conductor John Wilson with the award-winning Sinfonia of London. Bliss wrote Music for Strings after he had completed the film score for Things to Come, driven by his desire to compose a piece of “pure music.” Britten’s Variations on a Theme of Frank Bridge helped to establish the young composer’s international reputation. Berkeley wrote his Serenade for Strings while England was at war and the music seems to reflect the composer’s anxious mood.
Sinfonia of London: English Music for Strings
