5.0 out of 5 stars Worthy contributions to the English music repertoire

S.H.S. · 26 August 2025

Thomas Pitfield, who was largely self-taught in the art of composition, was essentially a miniaturist, by which I mean he worked in short movements rather than monumental ones. For example, the two largest works on the present recording, the Sinfonietta and the Concerto Lirico, both extending to about 20 minutes, are made up of five movements apiece. However, we must not allow this tendency to fool us into thinking that the music itself is slight. Pitfield is capable of an intense depth of feeling as well as jocularity. Such variety is just what is needed to maintain the listener's interest, and the composer exploits this range of moods to the full. The Sinfonietta is altogether a powerful work, with some lighter touches, as in the Jig, while the Concerto Lirico for Violin & Orchestra contains moments of moving intensity (notably in the Requiem' in memory of a colleague who died during the composition of the work). Soloist (Emma McGrath) and orchestra (Liepaja SO) alike really rise to the occasion.The Epitaph for String Orchestra is in the same vein, conveying an intense but dignified sense of the tragic. By contrast, the remaining works on offer showcase Pitfield's love of English folksong. The Staffordshire folk tune 'The Little Room' actually receives two airings, first on its own account (tracks 6-9) and and then as one of the Bucolics (track 15). Vaughan Williams, perhaps with a twinkle in his eye, suggested that this particular tune may have originated with Pitfield himself. Some of the tunes treated orchestrally here ('So far from my country', Faithful Johnny', 'The Carrion Crow'), are set as songs for tenor and piano elsewhere (Divine Art, ddx 21119), and are also worth a listen (see my review).Pitfield composed with an easy-listening tonalism in mind, a principal from which, to my knowledge, he never deviated. 'Easy-listening', of course, is not synonymous with 'light music'. At times the listener is taken on a journey of stark emotions. Pitfield was well-aware that music can be for healing as well as pleasure. Do not be fooled, either, by the name of the orchestra on this disc. There has long been a view - perhaps not quite dead even yet - that the best orchestras to play British music are British ones. These days, however, this is a dubious argument. Not only are British orchestras peopled by fine players from all over the word, but this one - the Liepaja SO from Latvia - is Toccata Classics' orchestra of choice and does a splendid job of performing the fayre on offer here. For those who have not yet tasted the delights of Pitfield's music, this is as good a place as any to begin.