Malcolm Arnold: the best recordings
The best films and recordings featuring concert and film scores by 20th-century British composer Malcolm Arnold

The Complete Symphonies 
LSO/Richard Hickox; BBC Phil/Rumon Gamba 
Chandos CHAN10853(4) 
Consistently high-quality performances of the essential core of Arnold’s output, split between two fine ensembles.
 Symphony No. 9 
National Symphony Orchestra of Ireland/Andrew Penny 
Naxos 8.553540 
Fine playing of Arnold’s last, strangest and most remarkable symphony, plus a talk by him with Andrew Penny.
Read our review of this album here.
Guitar Concerto 
Julian Bream, Melos Ensemble 
Alto ALC1174 
The benignly gorgeous Guitar Concerto is played by its dedicatee, with solo works by Lennox Berkeley, Ravel and others.
String Quartets Nos 1 & 2 
McCapra Quartet
Chandos CHAN 9122 
Two exceptional masterworks in performances of world-class quality.
Film Music Vol. 1 
LSO/Richard Hickox 
Chandos CHAN 9100 
Suites from five of the best film scores are here, including Kwai, Whistle Down the Wind and The Sound Barrier.
Toward the Unknown Region: Malcolm Arnold – a Story of Survival
Amazon Prime Video (available to rent)
Tony Palmer’s superlative film portrait features many musical excerpts and interviews with family and friends.
Authors

Freya Parr is BBC Music Magazine's Digital Editor and Staff Writer. She has also written for titles including the Guardian, Circus Journal, Frankie and Suitcase Magazine, and runs The Noiseletter, a fortnightly arts and culture publication. Freya's main areas of interest and research lie in 20th-century and contemporary music.




