from the British Music Society
News, reviews & features
Obituary: composer Robin Stevens
The composer Robin Stevens died on 16th February 2026, after a long struggle with cancer…
Composer Gavin Higgins appointed by festival
The Three Choirs Festival has appointed Gavin Higgins its composer-in-association for the next three years which will involve him contributing to the artistic life of the festival…
Paul Spicer’s Choral Conducting book published
Choral Conducting written by distinguished choral conductor Paul Spicer has been published by Crowood Press…
English Music Festival moves to Dartington Hall
After 19 years The English Music Festival is embarking on a new chapter as it prepares to welcome audiences in the spectacular setting of Dartington Hall in Devon…
Music news in brief
A round-up of music related news from January 2026 including an award to a distinguished musician and the closure of a cathedral school…
HUW WATKINS: Symphony No. 2 | Fanfare for the Hallé
The Concerto For Orchestra again opens with the familiar…rippling woodwinds, and throughout, the sound world is identical to that of the Symphony – bursting with the same tricks of orchestration and rhythm…
OVERTURES FROM THE BRITISH ISLES, VOLUME 3
With such a smorgasbord of preludes, this disc is best sampled sparingly, but everything here is finely played and cleanly recorded. Many of these scores are little-known…
WILLIAM SMETHERGELL: Six Overtures Op. 2
In his very full notes on the music contained in this recording, Jürgen Schaarwächter makes the point that almost all Haydn’s contemporaries in Britain have largely been forgotten…
COLIN RILEY: Along the Line
Colin Riley is Reader in Composition at Brunel University. His music draws on a range of elements including new technologies, improvisation, song-writing and large-scale classical form…
GEOFFREY ÁLVAREZ: Symphonies and Sundries
Another aspect of the matter is that organ music with a programme is much less common than in the past…