Alan Bush: Symphonies Nos. 1 & 2 (2005)

Although Alan Bush's fervent advocacy of communism in the 1930s brought him considerable international attention, his politics later adversely harmed his reputation as one of Britain's leading composers; despite support from sympathetic musicians, among them Britten and Vaughan Williams, Bush and his music were seriously discounted during the Cold War years. This 2004 release is part of a reassessment of Bush's output, starting with the Symphony No. 1 in C, Op. 21 (1940), and the Symphony No. 2, Op. 33, "The Nottingham" ... Read More

Although Alan Bush's fervent advocacy of communism in the 1930s brought him considerable international attention, his politics later adversely harmed his reputation as one of Britain's leading composers; despite support from sympathetic musicians, among them Britten and Vaughan Williams, Bush and his music were seriously discounted during the Cold War years. This 2004 release is part of a reassessment of Bush's output, starting with the Symphony No. 1 in C, Op. 21 (1940), and the Symphony No. 2, Op. 33, "The Nottingham" (1949), the first two of four symphonies. The severe Symphony No. 1 smacks somewhat of Shostakovich in militaristic mode, though the bellicose tone surely was common among composers in World War II and is not a liability. What is most frustrating, however, is Bush's forced, "populist" simplicity, which puts a damper on the free development of ideas and pushes the music too far into bombastic repetition. The programmatic Symphony No. 2 is more relaxed and genial; in portraying Sherwood... Read Less