The BBC Scottish Symphony Orchestra and its Associate Guest Conductor John Wilson record for the first time together on Chandos, embarking on a new series devoted to the brilliant orchestral works of Sir Richard Rodney Bennett.

While internationally famous for his dances, jazz creations, and film and TV scores, Bennett wrote sumptuous works of ‘concert music’, as he called it. This first volume reveals him as one of the most brilliant natural talents to emerge in post-war British music. Influenced by both the American Songbook and his teacher Pierre Boulez, he also always strove to place melody – and emotional honesty – at the centre of his music.

These traits are coupled in the epic Marimba Concerto, an innovative piece for the composer, moving from a colourful and lyrical first movement to highly virtuosic passages and strikingly athletic cadenzas. The demanding solo part is tackled here by the multi-award-winning Colin Currie, nowadays seen as the world’s finest and most daring percussionist, as well as a champion of contemporary music.