Although Richard Causton provides extensive and interesting programme notes to enhance one’s appreciation and understanding of the orchestral and chamber works contained on this disc, his music clearly speaks for itself. Millennium Scenes, which opens the disc, is a 16 minute piece for large orchestra, divided into 12 short continuous sections. The first one, Feroce, pits unsion string melodies against jagged percussion gestures and sounds of nature. Massive dissonant textures pile up in the brief Largo, followed by a petulant dance featuring aggressive hand drums and exotic-sounding rapid woodwind flourishes. Part 2’s first three sections generally manipulate slow-moving tone clusters, while its Coda recapitulates material from the first section along with strategic silences.

Notturno’s spacious, introspective first two movements feature memorably evocative solo passages for piano and viola supported by billowy ensemble chording that shifts around to subtle effect. But don’t get too relaxed, for the third movement’s opening will wake you up with its busy low-register piano activity and percussive string rejoinders. As Kingfishers Catch Fire is scored for flute, clarinet, harp and string quartet, and its twisted, deconstructed faux-Renaissance evocations are underlined by intimate, close-up sound that brings the listener within licking distance of the instruments, adding intensity to note attacks during the energetic harp and pizzicato string interplay midway through the piece. By contrast, The Persistence of Memory’s sparse textures and delicate scoring will either hold the listener in rapt suspense or convey a static aura, depending on one’s listening mood.

Imagine the musical equivilant of TV channel-surfing where one changes stations every minute or so, and you’ll understand the alternating bold and gentle gestures that give the 24-minute Chamber Symphony a feeling of controlled discontinuity. The composer’s huge dynamic contrasts and complex rhythms obviously pose no problems in performances that stand out for their executional finesse, painstaking balances and commitment.