Gemma Rosefield, Benjamin Nabarro, Rowan Pierce, BBC Philharmonic, George Vass

by Vlad Bourceanu (donate, via PayPal)

This album was released on 19 September 2025, and is dedicated (as its title suggests) to the concerti of Henriëtte Bosmans.

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From the first note of her Poème for Cello and Orchestra, I was struck by its passionate, late Romantic sound … in the vein of Ernest Chausson and perhaps even Eugène Ysaÿe. Gemma Rosefield, the cello soloist here, displayed incredibly sensitive and expressive sound and vibrato, right from her very first entry. The BBC Philharmonic, under George Vass, outdid itself with very clear texture in its sound, and crisp articulation throughout. The highlight here, however, for me, was the music itself … extraordinary, beautiful, expressive musical language, especially since this is the music of a 20th century composer — the century where melody and beautiful harmonies largely fell out of fashion (at least as far as the world of so-called “classical” music is concerned). The fact that the beauty of this wonderful music came through so clearly is also an immense compliment to the musicians involved … the best musicians know how to stand aside, so that the music itself comes through … and this, for me, is most distinctly what is happening here. The lyrical ending to this incredibly beautiful piece, with its pastoral feel and its final harmonic, was mesmerising and spellbinding … bravi, soloist, orchestra and conductor for the superb sound balance in such quiet passages. This is a work, and a composer, that really deserves much, much wider recognition.

Lead, Kindly Light — the second piece on this album, reminded me of some of the works of Gustav Mahler (“Urlicht”, from his Second Symphony, “Resurrection”, and some other of his songs — such as “Um Mitternacht” from his “Ruckertlieder” — came to mind). Some of the expressive style and harmony — as well as the orchestration and the long held notes of the soloist — were indeed Mahlerian, but this was coupled with harmonic language suggesting a hint of Ralph Vaughan Williams. Rowan Pierce, the solo soprano here, simply soared. Her final exhortation, “lead Thou me on” was just magical, goosebump-inducing, even. This composer, I couldn’t help thinking, once more proved she knew how to create extraordinary endings to her works.

The Concertstuk for Violin and Orchestra featured Benjamin Nabarro as the violin soloist. I loved his tone, his vibrato, his obvious musical understanding of the piece, and his passionate playing. At first, I was wondering if this beautiful tone of his had the bite necessary in the more direct sections of this piece. I needn’t have worried — by the final sections of the piece, he had amply (and then some) demonstrated both lyrical quality in his tone, and bite, when necessary. Perhaps he was consciously holding back the bite, in the beginning, for maximum impact, later. In any case: bravo ... genuinely incredible playing, one which amply demonstrated his musical understanding of the piece, as well as his sense of musical pacing. The orchestra, for its part, was simply superb, once more — in every single way: balance, expression, texture, dynamics, and so on. What a genuine treat.

Ms. Rosefield returned as the soloist in Ms. Bosmans’ Second Concerto for Cello and Orchestra. Her tone, here, reminded me of that of Jacqueline du Pré … similarly expressive, although Ms. Rosefield’s tone is somewhat calmer, more reflective and evocative. The musical language used by the composer here is similarly rich and lush as that used in the previous works on this album … drawing from many influences, perhaps, yet completely original — and able to paint musical landscapes in musical notation as well as any other composer of the time, and perhaps ever. Her ability to convey passion in her writing, and to make it impossible for the listener to remain indifferent, is astounding … and Ms. Rosefield, the BBC Philharmonic Orchestra and its conductor, Mr. Wass, tuned into that passion, and into that impossiblity to remain indifferent, as if their inner heartbeat had been made to vibrate in sync with that of the composer.

As a spellbound listener, I can only be grateful that such musicians exist, and that they give of their soul to share such music with us. Bravi, one and all.