The disc comes as a memorial to Patric Standford, who died last year, aged 65, having belonged to that important group of Twentieth century British composers. His younger years were spent in an impoverished environment in the coalfields of northern England, but his own obvious gifts as a composer eventually took him to the Guildhall School of Music as a student of Edmund Rubbra, before departing for Venice to study with Francesco Malipiero, and later with Witold Lutosławski. He returned to the Guildhall where he joined the teaching staff, later acting as the Chairman of the British Composers' Guild. His sizeable catalogue of works, written through much of his life, includes five symphonies—tapes of the Fifth in a broadcast by the BBC Philharmonic 'traded' between Anglophiles—concertos, choral works and music for television and films.

The First Symphony, from 1972, pictures the four seasons starting in Spring, the content reflecting their nature in Northern England, rather than the rest of the world. Colourfully orchestrated, Autumn is depicted in a whirlwind woodwind-orientated scherzo, while Winter forms a turbulent and dramatic conclusion with its jagged writing. The Cello Concerto came two years later and falls within the world occupied by Shostakovich, the pounding rhythms of the dramatic opening setting the scene for a highly charged three movement score, with massive mood swings and a virtuoso part for the soloist. Unusual in replacing the conventional slow movement with a brilliant scherzo, the sombre finale comes as a sad farewell and fitting tribute to a very genial character. As a make-weight the Prelude to a Fantasy is a short orchestral scherzo. Although first issued two years ago on the British Music Society label, it comes from the Naxos UK recording team, using Naxos 'house' performing artists, its sound quality assured and the sessions, in the presence of the composer, are absolutely superb.