Emily Howard (b1979) came to attention with the title work in this NMC debut disc, Magnetite, a sumptuous, powerful piece written for the Royal Liverpool Philharmonic Orchestra when the ensemble’s home city – also Howard’s – was European capital of culture in 2008. Her interests, embracing mathematics, physics and poetry, inform each work, whether specifically (Solar) or more obliquely (Leviathan). Afference (2014), for string quartet and in two parts, takes ideas of sensory perception as a starting point. The results are delicate, detailed and rigorous. This is an engaging introduction to Howard’s music, expertly played. The RLPO premiere a new work of hers at the Proms on 25 August.
