Symphony No. 2 in D minor, Elegiac / Symphony No. 5 in D major Op. 56 L'Allegro ed il Pensieroso

"This is another distinguished instalment in this Stanford cycle. Vernon Handley's pioneering set (Chandos) is most certainly not displaced but these Naxos recordings, and this latest one in particular, can stand proudly shoulder to shoulder beside them. Collectors who bought the earlier issue of the Fourth and Seventh symphonies should not hesitate to add this companion volume to their shelves. More please!" (MusicWeb Dec 2007)

"For those of you who enjoy the work of the German romantics, you will probably find this music most enjoyable. While it is quite a bit less ponderous than its German cousins, it still contains enough gravitas to satisfy the musical soul-searcher, yet veers often enough into a light-hearted realm that seekers of beautiful melodies will leave just as happy."
(MusicWeb April 2008)

Of the British composers to have emerged immediately before Elgar, the most significant were Sir Hubert Parry and Sir Charles Villiers Stanford. Central to Stanford's achievement are the seven symphonies covering the greater part of his career. Although they remain well within the stylistic orbit of Mendelssohn, Schumann and Brahms, these accomplished works are marked by resourceful and often subtle orchestration. Symphony No. 2, 'Elegiac', completed in 1880, seems to have no overt elegiac intent, although it is prefaced by a quotation from Tennyson's In Memoriam. Symphony No. 5 was inspired by Milton's poems L'Allegro and Il Penseroso, lines from which are included in the score, and reprinted in the booklet accompanying this recording.