Derek B. Scott: Orchestral Music, Volume Three
Toccata Classics

On the back cover of this third volume of orchestral music by Derek B. Scott (b. 1950), the Birmingham-born composer is described as “a leading historian of the British music hall and other forms of light entertainment.” Characterizing him as a “light” composer risks undervaluing the merits of his work, however, and the quality of its craft. Yes, there's levity but genuine feeling too plus seriousness of intent. Furthermore, there's no pandering; Scott's music comes by its tunefulness naturally and its integrity in no way suffers. His are immensely well-crafted and expressive pieces strong in melody that reflect many years of engagement as a composer.

The eight works on the seventy-one-minute collection and presented so splendidly by the Liepaja Symphony Orchestra under Paul Mann's direction exemplify the breadth of Scott's imagination and resourcefulness. A scan of the set-list reveals that six pieces were written earlier in his career and are here presented in newly revised form, with the remaining two created in 2022. In featuring a lament, pavane, rondo, two fantasies, two tone poems, and a concerto grosso, the album's emotional and stylistic span is broad.

Much the same could be said about Scott's life and career in general. In addition to writing for the concert hall and theatre, he's been the co-founder and musical director of a contemporary chamber orchestra, a music professor at two universities, awarded prizes for his compositions, appeared as a singer in a jazz opera based on the life of saxophonist Lester “Prez” Young, and published multiple books, among them Sounds of the Metropolis: The 19th-Century Popular Music Revolution in London, New York, Paris, and Vienna (2008).

Derived from music created for an ‘80s operetta that dealt with the British slave trade, Wilberforce: Tone-Poem, Op. 43 is overture-like in the way it blends numerous themes into a dynamic, single-movement whole. The music shifts tonally from plaintive passages associated with oppression to calypso references intended to satirize the myths about slaves joyfully dancing and singing while labouring on plantations. With the programmatic aspects ignored and the material broached on purely musical terms, the piece still engages powerfully for its rapidly changing alternation between sober and spirited passages, endearing melodicism, and ear-catching orchestration. The “popular” dimension of Scott's music is certainly present too, specifically in the immediacy with which the music connects.

With hornist Ingus Novicans in the soloist's spot, Salisbury Plain: Fantasy for Horn and Orchestra, Op. 1 deploys melodic material adapted from an early folksong. After a distant, unaccompanied horn initiates the work, the arrangement blossoms into a luscious strings expression that sets the scene for the song's full voicing by the horn. Contrasts of mood are plentiful, as pastoral gentleness gradually gives way to agitation. Written in 1977 and revised twenty-five years later, the dark-hued Lament, Op. 8 is a rare case on the album of material reflecting Scott's earlier interest in musical modernism, something he wrestled with when being simultaneously pulled in a popular direction. Agitated, ominous, and even somewhat macabre, the piece clearly presents a different side of his artistic persona.

Written in 2022, Fibrillation Fantasy, Op. 41 originated out of his hospital experiences dealing with heart issues and the diagnosis of an “excitable atrium.” Speaking of resourceful, he converted an irregular rhythm from one of his electrocardiogram tests into musical notation for the piece and fashioned its six sections in accordance with physical states of excitement and attempted calm. If rhythmical urgency drives much of the material, it's understandable in light of the circumstances that prompted its creation. Also composed in 2022, Pavane, Op. 42 is dedicated to the victims of war in Ukraine and incorporates a number of references to the Ukrainian national anthem. Formally, the piece couples an elegiac tone with a processional dance feel, much as a pavane often does. It's also not the first time Scott has written material in response to world events: The Warning Song: Tone-Poem, Op. 44 uses material from a 1985 stage production created in opposition to nuclear weaponry and, like the album's other tone poem, advances through many moods and sections, some lyrical and others satirical and scornful. In-depth programmatic clarifications are provided by Scott in liner notes, but the piece is no less engaging when experienced on purely musical grounds.

April 2024