In 1954, the year after the death of poet Dylan Thomas, Igor Stravinsky wrote his In Memoriam Dylan Thomas and Daniel Jones wrote his Fourth Symphony in homage to his friend. Now the 50th anniversary of Thomas's death, on November 9, is inspiring new tributes. For this Swansea festival concert, Geraint Lewis set out to write a commemorative tone poem for the BBC National Orchestra of Wales, which would be a "metaphorical journey towards death".

In a lucid note, he explained the rationale behind including men's voices for their texture and for choosing key Thomas words, not to use in context, but as a means to a vibrant enunciation. The suggestion was of an ecstatic exploration that, perhaps inevitably, the music itself could not match. He created a soundscape where solo wind instruments evoked the birds of Thomas's Laugharne estuary, but where the percussion instruments sounded a more ominous message. The rich resonance ostensibly sought in the voices did not materialise, only monotones and chanting. One was left wishing Lewis had indulged instead his own naturally lyrical instinct and set a complete Thomas poem.

Three other items - Reznicek's overture Donna Diana, Chabrier's Joyeuse Marche and Berlioz's Rakoczy March - had nothing to link them save perhaps their potential for cut-and-paste afternoon broadcast. Mozart's Clarinet Concerto with soloist Robert Plane provided a serene oasis and conductor Martyn Brabbins made the suite from Prokofiev's Romeo and Juliet gutsy stuff. His versatility knows no bounds, but how he could be expected to create a thread of logic through this disparate set of works is anybody's guess.