Rob Keeley: Orchestral Music
The music of Rob Keeley – born in south Wales in 1960 but immersed in London musical life since boyhood – embraces a wide range of influences. Stravinsky’s angular melodies and Tippett’s buoyant rhythms can be heard in the spiky but bucolic Second Symphony. Keeley readily confesses to an allegiance to Gallic Neo-Classicism in his Flute Concerto and, more surprisingly, reveals a taste for Telemann as the inspiration behind his Triple Concerto, with the ‘Enigma’ Variations of ‘my beloved Elgar’ acting as a model for Keeley’s own recent set of orchestral variations. Among the factors unifying these eclectic stimuli into an individual musical language are a concern for textural clarity and lightness of touch, a fondness for dance and a hint of good humour.
Sarah Desbruslais, flute (Tracks 5 – 6)
James Turnbull, oboe (Tracks 7 – 9)
Michael Sluman, oboe (Tracks 7 – 9)
Patrick Flanaghan, cor anglais (Tracks 7 – 9)
Málaga Philharmonic Orchestra (Tracks 1 – 9)
Liepāja Symphony Orchestra (Tracks 10 – 24)
Paul Mann, conductor
FIRST RECORDINGS
Listen To This Recording:
-
Symphony No. 2 (1996)
- I Allegro molto
- II Scherzo: Allegro con brio
- III Adagio molto
- IV Allegro molto
- I Andantino
- II Adagio – Allegro molto
- I Allegro molto
- II Scherzo: Presto
- III Andante con moto, misurato – Andante, quasi una sarabanda – Presto
- Theme: Andante moderato
- Variation 1: Allegro
- Variation 2: Stesso tempo
- Variation 3: Lo stesso tempo
- Variation 4: Meno mosso
- Variation 5: Allegro
- Variation 6: crotchet = 144
- Variation 7: Slower
- Variation 8: Allegro vivace
- Variation 9: Allegro
- Variation 10: Andantino
- Variation 11: Vivace
- Variation 12: Adagio
- Variation 13: Presto
- Passacaglia-Finale
Flute Concerto (2017)
Triple Concerto for two oboes, cor anglais and strings (2014)
Variations for Orchestra (2019)
MusicWeb International :
‘If anyone suggests that the symphony is an outdated form, just recommend to them this splendid well-constructed and thought-out example. [Symphony No.2] […]
I was impressed by the performances of all four works. The Málaga Philharmonic Orchestra, the Liepāja Symphony Orchestra and the soloists, directed by Paul Mann, are all top of the form. The recording by the Toccata engineers is ideal. ‘
—John France, MusicWeb International