Bowen Viola Concerto on SWR Music

[eschiss1]

A new, maybe relatively budget (and somewhat short-timed), recording of York Bowen's viola concerto (currently available commercially in a 2004 CD/download from Hyperion Records with Lawrence Power, viola) is upcoming (September 13 2024) on SWR Music with Brett Dean, Diyang Mei and a German Radio Orchestra. Not sure if Diyang Mei is the soloist or conductor, since Brett Dean has, I believe, worked as violist, conductor (and in other circumstances composer).

(I was going to write "currently available" but I see there's at least one other recording available on YouTube, too, from the Symphony of the Hills, somewhat slower at 45 minutes as against this new recording's 36.5 - which is also the same duration, just about, as the Hyperion.) The SWR recording is :
Allegro assai: 13:14
Andante cantabile: 10:41
Allegro scherzando: 12:40.
On Hyperion these three movements are 12'34/11'01/12'13.
Ah, the Hills recording comes to only 38:59 when one omits the opening 3 minutes of discussion, the pauses between movements and the applause (13'31/11'57/13'31. Not a 12-minute difference, then...)
There's at least one other viola/orchestra YouTube recording, I think. Good to see.

[Alan Howe]

Thanks, Eric. It's a lovely work that should be better known.

[Alan Howe]

This is the release (probably download only?) mentioned by Eric:
https://www.prestomusic.com/classical/products/9636944--york-bowen-viola-concerto-op-25

Diyang Mei (viola)
Deutsche Radio Philharmonie,
c. Brett Dean

Diyang Mei is principal viola with the Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra.