Bridge, Frank: Capriccios Nos. 1 and 2. Piano

Timed to exploit the centenary of his best pupil, Benjamin Britten, Frank Bridge’s reissued Capriccios for Piano Nos.1 and 2 of 1905 come up fresh as paint: Stainer & Bell’s front cover alone – reproducing Panini’s elaborate 1758 painting Capriccio of Rome – is worth long study.

No 1 sounds like Moszkowski; No 2 (a better piece) is more typical, recalling Bridge’s own Rosemary and The Sea, and contains some chords silently depressed and exposed by re-pedalling.

***** Showy and effective, and most recommendable.