John Casken (1949-)
Concerto pour violon
Concerto pour orchestre
Orion over Farne

Sophia Jaffé, violon
Halé Orchestra
Markus Stenz, direction

Casken’s work is often inspired by the Northumberland countryside and coastline where he lives and in the symphonic poem Orion Over Farne (1984-86) he conjures up the magical atmosphere of the Farne Islands, drawing on the myth, landscape and poetry of the area using rich orchestral sonorities. The Violin Concerto received its premiere at the BBC Proms in 1995 and is performed by the young German violinist Sophia Jaffé. It loosely takes its narrative from Tolstoy's Father Sergius, a story refl ecting some of the turmoil of human experience and the dilemmas arising from the decisions we make. Concerto for Orchestra (2007) is Casken’s most recent orchestral work, which was written for the Nationaltheater-Orchesters Mannheim and continues the composer's interest in two-movement forms that began with his Cello Concerto (1991), a recording of which is available on NMC D086.