In 2006, LSO Live released Walton's First Symphony conducted by Sir Colin Davis. The disc received widespread acclaim - it was an Editor's Choice in Gramophone and voted CD of the Year by listeners of BBC Radio 3's CD Review. It is now being re-released, coupled with a new recording of Walton's spectacular oratorio Belshazzar's Feast. These works, which were written consecutively, helped Walton consolidate his reputation as the most exciting British composer of his generation. Belshazzar's Feast, a superbly crafted oratorio, vividly depicts the story of Babylon's excesses and subsequent downfall, brilliantly colored by the orchestral forces, including two brass bands. Similarly effervescent, volcanic sentiments simmer beneath the surface of the symphony, conveying the tensions of the 1930s whilst remaining timeless in its appeal.
