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13 of 14 people found the following review helpful:
What a discovery!, 28 Feb 2006
So where has this fine symphony been all these years? It is one of the best discoveries I have made in a long time.The Symphony was composed towards the end of World War Two. Having heard some of Arnell's other music ("Punch and The Child", "The Great Detective"), I was expecting something quite light. I couldn't have been more mistaken. Arnell's Third Symphony is an epic work lasting about one hour. I was gripped throughout. It is powerful, moving,brooding and thoroughly memorable. Some of the tunes resonated in my mind long afterwards. Arnell's mother was killed in the Blitz and maybe that is reflected in the darkness of certain passages. In the end, however, (to me at least) there emerges a strong sense of triumph and hard won victory. This is a touching, gripping score with echoes of Nielsen, Bax, Alwyn but not in any way derivative. Together with Malcolm Arnold, Arnell must be Britain's greatest living composer. The "New Age" Overture is an enjoyable work although maybe it would have been better placed before the Symphony, as there is an inevitable sense of anti-climax when it appears after the epic conclusion of the Third Symphony. The Dutton recording is excellent and the notes accompanying the CD are very informative. Strongly recommended for those who like 20th Century British symphonies (or any symphonies for that matter) written in a tonal (but by no means unchallenging) idiom.
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£8.99
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£11.99
