Brian Lock, Rêve

Rêve features three substantial works by Brian Lock, best known as a film composer, with Land Girls and The Gambler to his credit. The opening Concerto for Clarinet, Percussion, Birds & Computers features soloist Neyire Ashworth, while Concerto for the Sound of a Harp & Other Sounds has Hugh Webb on harp. There are similarities to Graham Fitkin's electro-collaborations with Ruth Wall, though Lock favours sweeter harmonies: the second movement of the clarinet "concerto" veers towards chill-out jazz. The third movement is tougher, with a hint of Louis Andriessen's brutality and a more explicitly "classical" part for Ashworth.One challenge faced by composers who work in this way is deciding whether each piece is a duet for soloist and multi-instrumentalist or an ersatz orchestra. To be small - or spacious? Though Lock manages his low-budget resources well, he writes like someone who would rather think big.