BBC Symphony Orchestra, Simon Callaghan, William Boughton - British Piano Concertos, Vol. 3 (2025) (FLAC)

British pianist Simon Callaghan is known for his achievement as a soloist, chamber musician and recording artist. He has performed a varied repertoire at top venues globally. He actively promotes classical music through his performances and recordings. He plays all four works with enthusiasm, fluid technical expertise and obvious enjoyment.

Conversation Piece by John Addison was written in 1958 to a commission from the BBC Concert Orchestra for that year's British Light Music Festival. John Addison felt that, by the late-1950s, too great a divide had opened up between serious and light music: ‘Concertgoers think contemporary music is so alarmingly serious that when confronted with a mildly witty turn of phrase, they assume something has gone wrong. I remember the astonished sigh of relief when, in the course of introducing one of my chamber works, I told the audience I would not mind if they smiled'. In Conversation Piece, Addison exploits to the full his talent to amuse and divert.

Tracklist
Philip Cannon
Concertino
1. I. Allegro molto vivace
2. II. Andante tranquillo
3. III. Presto leggiero

John Addison
Concertino
4. I. Allegro moderato
5. II. Andante grazioso
6. III. Vivace

Francis Chagrin
Concerto
7. I. Risoluto
8. II. Lento molto tranquillo
9. III. Allegro vivace

John Addison
Conversation Piece
10. Allegro moderato
11. Andante commodo, Alla marcia
12. Allegro moderato
13. Adagio
14. Allegro