Andrew Clements, Guardian, 25th November 2022
★★★★
“Bedford’s piece, Staggered Nocturne, which was composed for Currie and commissioned by the Philharmonia, was receiving its premiere – the first performance had been originally scheduled for 2020. As the title suggests, it’s not by any means a conventional concerto crammed with flashy percussion writing, though that doesn’t mean it ever gives the soloist an easy ride. In the first movement the ensemble of 14 players creates a convincingly nocturnal mood with lilting chords and hints of languorous melody, to which the percussionist adds persistent pulsings, before switching to a drum kit for the second movement to set up complex polyrhythms over which the other instruments weave long-limbed melodic lines. Beautifully lit textures create a luminous sound world, not at all what you might expect from such a lineup.”
