Recorded: The Colosseum, Town Hall, Watford, 5 & 25 January 2009 (Punch and the Child) & 7-9 April 2008 & 5 January 2009 (Harlequin in April), 25 January 2009 (Concerto Capriccioso).
To complete Dutton Epoch’s survey of the ballets of Richard Arnell by conductor Martin Yates, we have the first recording of the charming Harlequin in April and the first stereo recording of Arnell’s best-known ballet, the tuneful Punch and the Child. The disc is completed by the second of Arnell’s violin concertos, the Concerto Capriccioso, here brilliantly played by Lorraine McAslan.
November 2009
“Harlequin in April, recorded here for the first time, was Arnell's most enduring ballet in the theatre… Concerto capriccioso… endearingly inventive and moving work, with sweet lyricism masking technical challenges for the soloist which include a second movement that's played solo. These Arnell recordings provide the perfect demonstration of how CD has opened up access to neglected music with much to enjoy - especially when performed and recorded as expertly as here.”