McChrystal has an enviably full and warm soprano saxophone tone, and his intonation is as secure as his gift for melodic phrasing is unfailing. This is of inestimable advantage in a work such as Heath’s Concerto, where the solo instrument is entirely dominant (and perhaps a little too prominently balanced here). Heath stresses melody and atmosphere, and this seems to suit McChrystal, even where the folk element is occasionally represented a little too literally. The solo piece by Ian Wilson finds McChrystal on alto saxophone, and here his tone is pellucid, while his control of alternating fingering is precise and affecting. The music itself is cryptic and melancholy. McGlynn’s solo effort (also for alto sax) is a good deal more conventional, closer to its folk music source, and is accordingly somewhat less striking.
The two major works here are the Nyman and Torke concertos. Nyman’s typical rhythmic and melodic patterns are to be found in abundance in Where the Bee Dances, but there is also a more discernible willingness to allow the music sequential development and several chances to pause and reflect than one normally associates with this composer. The listener benefits accordingly from the more considered pacing. The gem in this collection, however, is the Torke, a three-movement concerto revelling in constantly transmuting thematic shards, unravelling orchestral colours and timbres, and genuinely engaging rhythmic complexities, often hinting at Far-Eastern influences. The outer movements are full of brilliant light, generated by the predominantly percussive scoring, supported by woodwinds and strings. The slow second movement is that modern rarity – a warm and moving construction with a ravishing theme which avoids any hint of sentimentality. It is also brilliantly scored. Unfortunately, this is the least well executed piece on the entire disc, with the London Musici woodwinds falling short of the high standards set elsewhere.'