This release of music by Halsey Stevens (1908-1989) appears to pick a single work from each of three previous releases, presumably with the purpose of providing a portrait of the composer. Stevens's neoclassical music is tonal, very American, and melds influences from Stravinsky and Bartók with Copland. It is overall rather expressive in character, yet without making any grand gestures, and is often playful. The Symphonic Dances (1958) are quite Stravinskian. They open with an energetic yet elegant movement followed by a bittersweet and romantic slower movement, nicely executed, and a mildly attractive finale of fine if not earth-shattering ideas. It is all very well performed by the London Philharmonic under George Barati and constitute the main attraction of the disc.I am less convinced by the sonata for solo cello from the same year. Cast in five movements it seems to do its best to avoid outstaying its welcome, but the music is pretty inconsequential. The first movement is rather passionate yet sticking to its neo-classical guns, the restrained Ciaccona contains some nice touches while the brief Scherzo is rather enjoyable in its exploration of the cello's coloristic potential. The Notturno, however, while clearly the heart of the work is meandering and even if the rhythmically alive finale contains (again) some nice touches, my overall conclusion is that Stevens - despite his melodic gifts - was at his best when could explore the interactions between different musical lines. I don't think there is anything wrong with Gabor Rejto's performance, but this is not a work I will return to very often - other critics have apparently found more than me in this work, but then again works for solo instruments generally receive praise from critics, probably partially because few of them want to admit that the expressive limitations inherent in the repertoire can easily make the music rather boring.The first symphony dates from 1945 is cast in a single movement but contains plenty of variation. Indeed, its most characteristic trait is the constant flow of good ideas, fine contrasts and much activity. That, of course, ensures that it is constantly enjoyable, and the ending is impressive, but I am less sure it really adds up to anything particularly substantial or more than the sum of its parts. Still, it is eminently worth hearing, and the performances by the Japan Philharmonic Symphony Orchestra under Akeo Watanabe are enthusiastic if a little rough around the edges. The sound, however, is less than ideal (it is much better in the other works). Overall, this remains a recommendable release, and I will surely explore the composer further, but I am less sure the portrait painted by the composer on this disc is completely ideal. The tracking times on the CD cover are incorrect, apart from the symphony, but the somewhat stingy total playing time (53:23) is unfortunately accurate.