Samuel Barber

Violin Concerto

IF any composer lived up to the saying you can please some of the people some of the time but you can't please all of the people all of the time" then it was Samuel Barber.

Hailed in the 30s as one of America's most talented composers of his generation, his works were also called anachronistic by modernists.

Barber, who died in 1981, was undaunted and continued to "do his own thing" as he put it.

He confessed to having little style in his writings but consoled himself with the thought that, this alone, required some courage.

His violin concerto, contained in the American Classics section of the Naxos collection, is unashamedly romantic in tone and has great warmth and tenderness.

It was commissioned in 1939 by a businessman for the violinist Iso Briselli.

It was considered too easy and it's true that the allegro and andante movements, while vibrant and enthusiastic, are technically conventional.

The piece itself, though, is a joy and Briselli's loss (the work was rejected) is still our gain. It has to be said that other parts of the work were thought unplayable. Sometimes you just can't win

And in the hands of soloist James Buswell in this recording the concerto fairly bounces along with humour and gaiety.

There are shades of Mendelssohn in here

as woodwind and brass travel parallel with the soloist to present a finely-structured piece of music.

Also on this CD, which features the Royal Scottish National Orchestra conducted by Marin Alsop, are Music for a Scene from Shelley, a ballet suite Souvenirs and the delightful Serenade for Strings.

These are fine offerings, well worth a hearing.

Naxos, 8.559044