Dutton Epoch explores unrecorded Arnold Bax! The strings of the Royal Liverpool Philharmonic create a powerful impression in the Variations on the name Gabriel Fauré and the early Symphonic Serenade. These two tuneful works for strings are a delightful addition to the canon of recorded Bax. They are coupled with Richard Arnell’s Classical Variations Op.1 – an essential footnote to the symphonies and a must for all collecting the Dutton Epoch Arnell series. The CD is completed by Stephen Dodgson’s delightful Essay No.7 for orchestra, and a fascinating discovery – conductor Norman Del Mar’s bold one movement Allegro Concertante for horn and strings. This muscular concerto-movement, brilliantly played by Stephen Bell, was written by a professional horn player, but with his friend Dennis Brain very much in mind.