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.