Britten: Variations on a Theme of Frank Bridge (Boyd Neel String Orchestra; London). Composed when he was 23, this work shows Britten's wit and enthusiasm at its best. Perhaps because it was inspired by a melodious theme of his teacher, Frank Bridge, it is also more tuneful than most latter-day Britten. Among its movements: a march, a Viennese waltz, a funeral march.
Debussy: Rhapsody for Saxophone and Orchestra (Jules de Vries, soloist; Frankenland State Symphony conducted by Erich Kloss; Lyrichord). Debussy had little taste for this commission, wondered vaguely during the eight years...