These are all recording premieres for Leighton, who lived until 1988. I recall some of his lighter music from some years ago, especially a concerto for harpsichord and strings which I liked very much. The composer was identified with works for strings for much of his composing life. He studied at Oxford, and his Symphony for Strings shows the influences of English composers there such as Vaughan Williams, Walton and Finzi.
The Concerto for Strings shows an increased level of chromaticism and dissonance, but still has a fairly lyrical mood. Leighton’s organ concerto of 1970 uses a similar scoring as Poulenc’s famous work. It opens with a passacaglia theme which returns at the very end of its third and last movement – a Chorale and Variations. There is considerable syncopation in the middle Toccata movement. This is a good introduction to Leighton’s music, and makes me look forward to future volumes in Chandos’ series devoted to him.
– John Sunier
