John Wilson                conductor
Stephen Johnson       presenter

Bliss                             Overture: Miracle of the Gorbals
Bliss                             March from Things to Come
Bliss                             Metamorphic Variations

Perhaps one of the most inexplicably neglected names in twentieth-century classical music, Sir Arthur Bliss (whose Piano Concerto is featured on 24 October) was, in his day, an admired composer of music for the concert hall, stage and screen, his achievements recognised when he was made Master of the Queen’s Music after the Second World War. In the 1920s and 30s he embraced the modernism of Stravinsky and leading French composers before moving towards a more traditionally English and Romantic style tinged with continental hues.

As this concert reveals, Bliss’s music is unfailingly engaging: rhythmically taut with melodies that can be both heartfelt and hard-edged. Beginning with two resonant examples of his ballet and film music, Broadcaster Stephen Johnson offers an insightful introduction, with live musical illustrations from the BBC Philharmonic, before a complete performance of his late masterpiece, the Metamorphic Variations. Written for the Croydon Arts Festival in 1972, and inspired by the paintings of Wiltshire artist George Dannatt, it’s one of his most colourful and imaginative scores, making virtuosic use of a large orchestra with an impressive battery of percussion.