The three works on this release of music by
John Pickard aren't claimed to be world premieres, but online listings of recordings of
Pickard's work do not show other performances of the
Symphony No. 2,
Symphony No. 6, and
Verlaine Songs. Listeners will have the sense of a happy discovery, and that may be one factor that put this release on classical best-seller lists in the spring of 2024. The
Symphony No. 2, composed when
Pickard was 23, is a real find, powerfully rhythmic, already showing
Pickard's deft, accessible way with extended tonality and quite demanding in its writing for brass. The tireless
Martyn Brabbins excels here in the work he draws from the brass section of the
BBC National Orchestra of Wales. No less effective is his support from soprano
Emma Tring in the vocal writing of the
Verlaine Songs, here presented in their orchestral guise. These are difficult pieces that require the soprano to hang out for extended stretches at the top of her register;
Pickard wrote the songs specifically with
Tring's voice in mind, and everything jells in this performance. The
Symphony No. 6 is a more subdued work, composed during the COVID-19 pandemic. Any one of these pieces could enliven an orchestral concert, and
BIS delivers fine, detailed sound from Hoddinott Hall in Cardiff. A wonderful, revelatory album of contemporary orchestral music. ~ James Manheim
