Classical CDs: Cymbals, monsters and Morse code

All of which prompted me to investigate conductor Andrew Gourlay’s Parsifal Suite, a glowing seven-movement work lasting 47 minutes in this performance. The “Prelude” unwinds like a Bruckner adagio and there’s some sublime string playing at the start of the Act 3 transformation music. Lower brass roar in the Act 2 prelude, and Gourlay’s digitally created church bells are highly effective in the second section. Also, interestingly, for a composer with this self-professed blind-spot, these pieces show a late engagement with the world of harmony. Martinů’s 1935 Concerto for harpsichord and small orchestra is an effervescent jewel, the soloist pitted against a small ensemble including piano.
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