Born in Brooklyn in 1947, Jack Gallagher studied composition, counterpoint and orchestration with Elie Siegmeister (1909 91). In his booklet-note he cites how Sir Eugene Goossens’s 1959 Everest recording of Stravinsky’s Petrushka with the LSO first turned him on to the sound of the symphony orchestra and also fondly recalls the experience of playing trumpet in the Orchestra of the National Orchestral Association in New York.

Gallagher’s Second Symphony (2010 13) clocks in at an eyebrow-raising 63 minutes, and initially there’s lots of fun to be had spotting the influences and sometimes near-cribs (I compiled a list as long as your arm – Sibelius, Stravinsky, Bartók, Hindemith, Holst, Walton, Britten, Lutosawski, Dutilleux, Barber, Piston, Del Tredici…). However, on subsequent hearings it’s hard not to be won over by the prodigious energy, long-term thinking and melodic fecundity of Gallagher’s exuberant inspiration, to say nothing of the breathtaking skill and swaggering confidence with which he handles his forces. Admittedly, I’m still not convinced the finale quite stacks up in the way the three preceding movements manage to but readers can decide for themselves. Composed in 1996 for the 80th anniversary of the Wooster Symphony Orchestra in Ohio, Quiet Reflections serves as an innocuous 12-minute postscript.

I’m happy to report that JoAnn Falletta directs with contagious dedication and encourages the LSO to give of its considerable best; indeed, these players would appear to be having a ball, with standout contributions from the flute and horn principals in particular. Phil Rowlands, too, can be proud of the splendiferously sumptuous, detailed and wide-ranging sound he has achieved within the helpful acoustic of Blackheath Concert Halls. In other words, if you like the sound of all of this, don’t hesitate for a moment.