Gerald Finzi is no
Ralph Vaughan Williams but he often comes quite close. In this disc, the twentieth century English composer sounds enough like
Vaughan Williams to be mistaken for him in a misty sonority. Try the opening A Severn Rhapsody, with its evocative pastoral opening; or try the Romance for string orchestra, with its lush scoring for divided strings; or try The Fall of the Leaf, with its tenderly nostalgic mood. This is not to say that Finzi doesn't have his own voice: his part writing is much smoother, his harmonies are much clearer, and his tone is much suaver than
Vaughan Williams. But it is to say that anyone who loves
Vaughan Williams will love Finzi. At his best in the intensely moving Eclogue for piano and string orchestra, Finzi creates the kind of music that speaks directly to the heart of all those who cherish twentieth century English music. This superbly recorded Lyrita disc combines noble and warm-hearted performances by
Adrian Boult and the
London Philharmonic with solo violinist Rodney Friend from 1977 with grandly expansive performances by
Vernon Handley and the
New Philharmonia Orchestra with solo pianist
Peter Katin and thereby provides listeners unfamiliar with Finzi with what may be the best single-disc introduction to his orchestral works.