Grand Fantasia & Toccata / Eclogue / Nocturne / etc.

"Boult does no wrong for me in this selection. He even manages to instil some coherence into the diffuse and not-entirely-satisfactory A Severn Rhapsody, an early work in which Finzi had not reconciled himself fully to rhapsodic writing. Despite the diffuseness of his inspiration, and the over-insistent lure of Butterworth as an inspiration, Boult charts an assured path. Was there a more bookish English composer than Finzi, quoting Lamb and the Elizabethans with equal facility and perception? Nocturne (New Year Music) is darker than one might have anticipated though ever-present sadness is the key. Note how wonderfully well the string and wind answering phrases are gauged, and so too that vocalised stamp as it evolves and mutates. Few can have judged the stalking pizzicato figures as well as Boult or the triumphant Festive end of the piece - magnificently done, like raised voices sung in praise, crowned by brass - before the return of those moments of reflection and sadness. Superb sound and Diana McVeagh's astute notes cap a mandatory purchase for lovers of the English muse, and of course for Finzi lovers in particular."
(MusicWeb Recording of the Month Oct 2007)