In the seemingly intractable debate of nature vs. nurture, the music of Viennese-born, English-bred composer
Joseph Horovitz makes a convincing argument for nurture. In this 2007 Dutton disc, four of
Horovitz's nine concertos are performed, and all of them sound distinctly English and emphatically not Austrian. Taught at the Royal College of Music,
Horovitz's music is clear, direct, tonal, melodic, and a tad spicy. With the
Royal Ballet Sinfonia as the first-class backup band, each of the four soloists here seems not only familiar with the music but fond of it as well. Clarinetist Fiona Cross is bright-toned, and supple in her concerto; euphonium player Steven Mead is subtle, agile, and, of course, strong-toned in his concerto; violinist
Andrew Haveron is lean, clean, and quite fetching in his concerto; and pianist
David Owen Norris, along with guest bassist Jeremy Brown and percussionist
Matt Skelton, is dryly witty and slyly swinging in the Jazz Concerto. With the skillful
Horovitz himself leading the orchestra, these performances will stand as definitive for the foreseeable future. Dutton's sound is cool, clean, bright, and detailed.