Charles O'Brien - Ellangowan: Concert Overture, Op. 12
Charles O'Brien - Symphony in F minor, Op. 23
Liepāja Symphony Orchestra
Paul Mann, conductor
2015
Jim Svejda :“… O’Brien’s only symphony is … a work that Mendelssohn and Reinecke would have understood as well. … The brief (7:13) Menuetto has genuine charm and features some extremely clever woodwind writing—this from a man who also clearly knew his Mendelssohn like a book—while the slow movement, “over which the spirit of Elgar gently hovers” (to quote Mann again) is both eloquent and deeply affecting, though the model here seems less Elgar than Parry (which makes perfect sense of course, as Parry—like O’Brien—was an unapologetic Brahmsian). … Even more attractive is the 18-minute Ellangowan Overture… O’Brien’s music is full of Highland rhythms and folk-like themes. Charles O’Brien: Complete Orchestral Music, Volume One is yet another quiet triumph for one of the most fearlessly enterprising labels on earth.”