In Beamish’s own words the symphony represents ‘a celebration of the beauty of Scotland, and the inspiration, both musical and visual, which I have found here.’ The piece combines elements of the traditional music of the Scottish bagpipe with an instrumental ‘setting’ of Psalm 104, praising the majesty of creation. Beamish was commissioned to write a concerto for the violinist Anthony Marwood, and from him received a copy of the novel All Quiet on the Western Front. The three movements of the concerto can be traced to three particular passages in the book, and are influenced by the composer’s ‘deep-rooted sense of the futility and tragedy of war’. The flute concerto is performed by the soloist it was composed for, Sharon Bezaly. This is the sixth disc on BIS dedicated to the music of Sally Beamish, music which in reviews of previous recordings has been described as and ‘striking compositions [which] combine lyricism and drama with clarity of form’ (in Gramophone).