Steve Elcock - Orchestral Music, Vol. 4 (Kenneth Woods)

Information

Composer: Steve Elcock

• Hammering, Op. 15
• Viola Concerto, Op. 29
• Symphony No. 4, Op. 19 "A Golden Rose Fallen from the Flat Sea of Time"
• Fermeture, Op. 38

Paul Silverthorne, viola

Moravian Philharmonic Orchestra

Kenneth Woods, conductor

Date: 2026

Label: Toccata Classics

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Steve Elcock (born 1957) is a UK-born composer based in France whose symphonic output has been praised for its intensity, structural scale, and dramatic control of musical tension. His work, including eleven symphonies to date, often explores the accumulation and release of energy in extended orchestral forms, drawing stylistic parallels with the late symphonies of Carl Nielsen while integrating both tonal and atonal elements. Elcock’s music frequently incorporates folk-like and popular influences, as heard in works such as his Viola Concerto, which features dance-inspired material. His broader orchestral output includes large-scale symphonic works and concert pieces designed for strong audience engagement, balancing complexity with immediacy and expressive impact.

Kenneth Woods (b. 1968) is an American conductor, cellist, and writer. Trained at the University of Cincinnati College-Conservatory of Music and in workshops with Leonard Slatkin, David Zinman, Jorma Panula, and others, he built an international career across the US and UK. He served as principal guest conductor of the Orchestra of the Swan (2009), later becoming principal conductor (2013) and artistic director (2016) of the English Symphony Orchestra, where he championed new commissions and established the John McCabe Composer in Association. In the US, he has directed the Oregon East Symphony since 2000 and became artistic director of Colorado MahlerFest in 2015.