John McCabe’s orchestral work is celebrated on a new record to be released on July 24, 2026 by Signum Classics, featuring the first ever recordings of his Symphony No. 3, Cello Concerto Songline, and a new recording of his Symphony No. 2. The works are performed by the BBC Scottish Symphony Orchestra conducted by Kenneth Woods and featuring Raphael Wallfisch as cello soloist.
The colourful and characterful nature of McCabe’s music is illuminated by the orchestra under Woods’ baton, and Wallfisch’s performance on the cello keeping the audience gripped to the record throughout the concerto.
Monica McCabe wrote in her foreword for the CD:
If Music is ‘about’ anything, and not just an aural pleasure in itself, then the three John McCabe works here can be described in the following terms: Symphony No. 2 concerns itself with mankind’s recurring cycles of unthinking and unchanging violence, as exemplified here through the 1969 Peckinpah Western The Wild Bunch. Symphony No. 3, subtitled Hommages, is John’s homage to music, as well as his specifically named composers, Haydn and Nielsen. The Cello Concerto, Songline, seems to penetrate with great psychological depth the musings of an aging person – the early vigour, the pleasant memories, the deep and painful sorrows. We can all have our differing interpretations; these are mine.
Despite other deep-held interests, such as cinema and literature, not to mention cricket, John McCabe was undoubtedly born to be a musician. He started composing even before learning the piano, although he later threw away these juvenile scribbles, saying that he had not known what he was doing, but was fascinated by music. Though born in England, and devoted to music of this country, in fact he had very little English blood. His mother was German, while his father was of mainly Irish descent. He studied the piano from an early age with the great teacher, Gordon Green, and he fell in love with the music of Haydn, then almost totally neglected, after hearing Richter play a sonata. Thereafter Haydn was a mainstay of his immensely wide repertoire. Nielsen also was virtually unknown in this country when John discovered his beautiful Chaconne for piano. In time he was to record, with deep understanding, all of the solo piano works of both composers. These recordings still stand as exemplars after half a century. John’s total devotion to music was selfless, as may be shown by his recordings and performances of works by other composers, male and female, including his contemporaries from Britain, America and Australia.
- Monica McCabe © 2026
Purchase the album here from July 24th.
“You know where you’re going with McCabe and you sense that the musicians are enjoying the journey every bit as much as you are.” – Slipped Disc (Album of the Week)
“This is such good music…” – The Critic (album of the week)
“…this winner of a release…” – Classical Source
