Alongside his nine symphonies and several
suites of dances, Arnold's dozen or so
overtures form a crucial and very
characteristic component of his catalog and
his musical temperament. This spanking and
sparkly new Chandos collection of 10 of these
alternatingly radiant and rousing works is a
greatly welcome compilation...One highlight of
this release is the premiere recording of the
latest of [Arnold's] works in this form,
ROBERT KETT...[A] GRAND, GRAND OVERTURE,
written for [a] festival of musical parody
featuring three vacuum cleaners and one floor
polisher - all specially tuned - ...out
Rossinis Rossini - it has climax after
climax, resulting in one of the most
hilarious passages in musical history...the
four great early overtures - BECKUS THE
DANDIPRATT, THE SMOKE, SUSSEX, TAM O' SHANTER
- ...possess a snarling ferocity...
— Paul A. Snook, Fanfare
A Grand Grand Overture
Peterloo
The Smoke
Tam o’Shanter
A Flourish for Orchestra
The Fair Field
A Sussex Overture
Anniversary Overture
Robert Kett
Beckus the Dandipratt
BBC Philharmonic/Gamba
Chandos CD 10293
