Anthony Hedges: Kingston Sketches

RtÉ Sinfonietta, Anthony Hedges

4 Brenton Sketches op. 79; Cantilena op. 87a; Heigham Sound-Overture op. 72; 4 Miniature Dances op. 28; Scenes from Humber op. 80; Kingston Sketches op. 36

Anthony Hedges was a popular and versatile composer with some 300 broadcasts to his name in Britain and abroad. He wrote prolifically in a variety of genres, often in response to commissions, from music for massed children’s choirs and youth orchestras to operas and chamber music. His scenic imagination and atmospheric tone pictures are full of warmth and colour, such as can be found in the Four Breton Sketches and Scenes from the Humber, which captures the spirit of the city of Hull, where he spent many years teaching. The delightful Heigham Sound shows his vivacity and compositional élan.

This was first released on Marco Polo 8223886. Gramophone wrote that the disc will ‘prove a welcome addition to the collections of more adventurous light music enthusiasts looking for something slightly different’.

Anthony Hedges conducts his own music, a sure imprimatur of authority. He wrote a cantata called Bridge for the Living, op.62, to words by Philip Larkin. It was the only time Larkin wrote a poem specifically for a musical setting.