Britten’s Peter Grimes has been described as “the most successful of all modern English operas”. The opera is distinguished by a series of Interludes, linking the scenes in each of the three acts and thereby ensuring continuity of sound. Realising the popularity of the Interludes, Britten took the most compact four and placed them together as a single work piece in four sections. The result is Four Sea Interludes, rich and evocative pieces which encapsulate the spirit of the opera and the atmosphere of the Suffolk coast. The “Storm” interlude is much admired by hi-fi buffs for its incredible sound.

Frank Bridge’s The Sea is a richly atmospheric work, sumptuously orchestrated and full of ravishing melodies which proved a great influence on a young Benjamin Britten (his pupil) – in particular the haunting third movement “Moonlight”. Handley and the Ulster Orchestra perform the work with brilliance and heartfelt compassion.

Bax’s Prelude, On the Sea Shore makes a colourful and atmospheric companion to the masterly Bridge and Britten pieces on the disc. Completing this collection is Stanford’s The Fisherman of Loch Neagh and What He Saw, a distinctive, sharply contrasted, colourful and atmospheric work - especially picturesque, in part because of the Irish melodies woven into it. It was Stanford’s intense Irishness which in fact protected him from the Teutonic influences in British music during his earlier years.

Available for the first time at mid-price, this collection is sure to inspire all lover of British orchestral music.

"This record gives an excellent introduction to twentieth-century English programme music." Tower Records, Guide to Classical Music