Malcolm Arnold (1921-2006) was an English composer and trumpeter, and one of the most distinctive British musical voices of the twentieth century. Born in Northampton, he played trumpet with the London Philharmonic Orchestra before turning increasingly to composition.

Arnold wrote nine symphonies, concertos, chamber music, ballets, dances and a large number of film scores. His music for The Bridge on the River Kwai won an Academy Award, while works such as the English Dances brought his concert music to a wide audience.

His style is immediately recognisable: tonal, brilliant, rhythmically alert and often edged with darkness beneath the surface wit. Arnold could move with startling speed from exuberance to desolation, giving his best scores unusual emotional voltage.

For all his popular success, Arnold was a serious symphonist whose music resists easy categorisation. He remains a composer of dazzling craft, fierce contrasts and unmistakable personality.