The story of composer Steve Elcock is compelling in itself and has attracted many listeners to his music. Self-taught in music except for some violin lessons, he heard the orchestral music of Allan Pettersson and began writing music in France for an orchestra he joined there when he became its conductor. Still completely unknown to the musical world at large, he made electronic "mock-ups" of some of his works and got a hearing from Martin Anderson of Toccata Classics, executive producer of this recording; attention has ...
Read More
The story of composer Steve Elcock is compelling in itself and has attracted many listeners to his music. Self-taught in music except for some violin lessons, he heard the orchestral music of Allan Pettersson and began writing music in France for an orchestra he joined there when he became its conductor. Still completely unknown to the musical world at large, he made electronic "mock-ups" of some of his works and got a hearing from Martin Anderson of Toccata Classics, executive producer of this recording; attention has followed. This album makes a good introduction to his music, which is mostly orchestral. The tendency is to define his style by referring to influences from Pettersson and others. It does have a Scandinavian tinge in the freedom with which form is treated and in the mixture of extended and ordinary tonality, but one does not hear the two symphonies here as derivative. The Symphony No. 6, Op. 30 ("Tyrants Destroyed"), has a theme of political satire and a savage tone all Elcock's own,...
Read Less
