Gregson was taught never to write notes that were not absolutely necessary. 'I can't stand the sentimental in music', he has said. He learned much from the structural clarity of Bartók and Hindemith, the economy and incisiveness of Stravinsky, the rhythmic flair of Walton and the simple modality of Vaughan Williams. To that list of influences one could also add Tippett, Lutoslawski, Messiaen and John Adams. This is a consciously eclectic mix, informing an approach to writing which is rigorous, disciplined and rooted firmly within the symphonic mainstream, and amply demonstrated in the four works recorded here.

A vivid and energetic work, Blazon was first performed in 1992. Gregson divides his large orchestra into concertante groups, each given its own music.The Clarinet Concerto was commissioned by the BBC for the musicians who have recorded it here.They gave the first performance in Manchester in 1994.

Gregson describes Stepping Out, composed in 1996 for the String Orchestra of the Royal Northern College of Music, as a short, 'up-front' kind of piece in an internationally eclectic style: 'John Adams meets Shostakovich, with a bit of Gregson thrown in.' The Violin Concerto is Gregson's Millennium piece, first performed in 2000. It is his most overtly neoromantic work to date. 'I find it impossible to resist the temptation to look back and give some respectful nods in certain musical directions', says Gregson. Concerto 'spotters' may hear echoes of works by Prokofiev,Walton, Elgar and even Szymanowski, but the underlying musical argument is very much Gregson's own.