• Favouring velvet suits, yoga and incense, the composer Cyril Scott (1879-1970) belonged to an artistic circle of such tantalising eccentricity that his musical achievements have been somewhat overlooked (too much to explain here, but the occult was a preoccupation, and the reclusive composer Sorabji was a central figure.) After decades of neglect, the prolific Scott, who was also a writer of fiction and nonfiction, is being re-evaluated.
The British pianist Simon Callaghan, an intrepid explorer of forgotten as well as mainstream repertoire, has recorded Scott’s substantial Piano Sonata No 1 (Lyrita), with two shorter pieces, sensuous and poetic, At Dawn and Pierrot triste. Scott has been called “the English Debussy”. That may be to boost him to unreal heights, but in terms of style it’s a useful start: cascades of notes, an often unearthly mood and, for this English eccentric, a few French accents. Callaghan gives shape and muscularity to this wistful music.
• The viola, middle voice of the string family, has had the advocacy of several virtuosic exponents over the past century, from pioneers such as William Primrose and Lionel Tertis in the past, to Lawrence Power and Tabea Zimmermann now. A new generation is coming forward with confidence. Jamaican-American Jordan Bak, already a recipient of many awards, is at the forefront. As the title suggests, his Cantabile: Anthems for Viola (Delphian), with the British pianist Richard Uttley, emphasises the instrument’s singing qualities. The range of works, from Vaughan Williams to Jonathan Harvey, Augusta Read and Bright Sheng, creates an album of arresting variety. The most substantial works are Arnold Bax’s Sonata, a showcase for the expressive powers of this duo, and Benjamin Britten’s Lachrymae – in which the ghost of the Elizabethan John Dowland hovers.
• Composer of the week: Kate Molleson explores the quiet but fiery figure of Elizabeth Maconchy (1907-94), who navigated misogyny and the expectations of domesticity to create a singular body of work, still too little known. Radio 3, Mon-Fri, 4pm/BBC Sounds.
