Martin Jones makes a persuasive case for an unfashionable British composer; Antonio Oyarzabal continues to champion forgotten female composers; and the Nash Ensemble hit 60 in style
• One of a kind, the composer Elisabeth Lutyens (1906-83) eludes fashion for several reasons. So many aspects of her life now look dated: she was a British aristocrat (daughter of the architect Sir Edwin Lutyens) who moved in elite social circles, cared little about the opinions of others, embraced European modernism ahead of her time, smoked and drank heavily and had a reputation for being fierce musically, and verbally prickly to lesser mortals. Her Piano Works Volume 3 (Resonus), performed by Martin Jones, includes short works dating back to 1944, the oddly touching Holiday Diary (1949) – tiny pieces with narrated text – as well as three sets of Bagatelles. Having regarded her music as quite resistible in the past, I found this album engaging, serious, stimulating.
Also highly recommended: La Muse Oubliée II (IBS Classical), in which Antonio Oyarzábal continues his travels through little-known repertoire by women, an example to all his fellow pianists.
