Derek Scott, born in Birmingham in 1950, has an international reputation as a leading historian of the British music hall and other forms of light entertainment. But he is an outstanding composer in his own right, his music treading a fine line between a very English whimsy and a profoundly felt and natural response to his subject matter. These six song-cycles – with influences ranging from Vaughan Williams to The Beatles – reveal a master craftsman and natural tunesmith, who manages to unite good humour, unerring technique and deep feeling in music of immediate appeal, setting texts by poets who include Burns, Hardy, Shakespeare, Swift, Wordsworth, Yeats and the composer himself.

“his music has a whimsical spirit and one that often turns to Celtic sources. […] Mann and the Liepāja Symphony Orchestra make a well-argued case for this music, playing it with the verve and spirit. […] In short, another worthwhile discovery by Martin Anderson and his Toccata Classics label. Firmly recommended.” – David DeBoor Canfield, Fanfare (TOCC0589: Derek B. Scott - Orchestral Music)

“Scott is unstuffy but inquisitive, unbeholden to any dogmas and open to a wide range of influences. […] everything is sharply, warmly, wittily and communicatively generous in its impact” – Jonathan Woolf, MusicWeb International (TOCC0589)