The music of Matthew Taylor (b. 1964) seeks to give the symphonic tradition continued relevance in the modern age. These three works, composed consecutively between 1993 and 1996, demonstrate Taylor’s concern with the essentials of symphonic thought in the long-term generation and deployment of energy, using a language which stems from the legacy of Sibelius and Nielsen, with points of reference to Robert Simpson, Vagn Holmboe and Michael Tippett.
“Matthew Taylor's soundworlds seem to provide a vital missing link between Brahms and Schoenberg - particularly within his chamber music. Scorching performances and music.” BBC Music Magazine, January 2006 *****
“…music of quality and genuine staying power. I'm happy to report that performances and recordings (which date back to 1996-97) are uniformly admirable, as is the presentation (Taylor himself provides the helpful listening notes). Well worth exploring.” Gramophone Magazine, February 2006
“Matthew Taylor is one of the few composers striving to maintain the symphonic tradition represented by Sibelius, Nielsen and Tippett. These elegant works, dating from the mid-1990s, are an oasis of chamber and small-orchestral form amid the contemporary cacophony. This is one of the first batch of discs issued on Toccata, launched by the musicologist Martin Anderson to promote composers or works he considers neglected.” The Observer
