Finzi: Earth and Air and Rain; To a Poet; By Footpath and Stile available on May 28 2017 from Base for 5.69
The English Song Series 15: Finzi available on August 21 2016 from Amazon for 4.33
UPC bar code 747313296323 ξ2 registered May 28 2017
UPC bar code 747313296323 ξ1 registered August 21 2016
UPC bar code 747313296323 ξ3 registered August 21 2016
Product category is MUSIC CD - CD - Classical Audio
Manufacturered by Naxos
Product weight is 0.24 lbs.
Gerald Finzi made an unrivalled contribution to British twentieth-century song-writing, especially in his settings of Thomas Hardy, his favourite poet. This second volume of Finzi songs includes two Hardy collections, the early By Footpath and Stile, for Gerald Finzi (1901-1956) is best known for his songs, particularly settings of poems by Thomas Hardy, certainly one of the bleakest of English writers. Earth and Air and Rain is a cycle of ten songs. "Waiting Both" ponders the meaning of existence in the form of a conversation between poet and a star. "When I Set out for Lyonesse" is a bit more positive, telling of the poet's meeting with his first wife. "Summer Schemes" looks forward to lazy, happy days but the joy is negated by the possibility of fate destroying the idyll. "The Clock of the Years" opens with spoken words and it tells of a deal with the "Spirit" to bring back the narrator's love. By the end, the poet wishes he had never spoiled the memory he had of her. The upbeat "Rollicum-Rorum" is a boisterous drinking song that startles the mood in mid-cycle. To a Poet is a six-song cycle with texts by different poets. "On Parent Knees" contrasts watching the smiling faces of people watching a baby cry while a man dying smiles as those around him weep. It's a remarkably potent minute and a half. The six-song Hardy cycle By Footpath and Stile is accompanied by string quartet (the first two are with piano), and they are the earliest-composed works on the CD; they are also the loveliest. Baritone Roderick Williams' impeccable diction and clear-as-a-bell baritone make each song special; Iain Burnside is the more-than-sympathetic pianist, and the Sacconi Quartet play handsomely. This is a very British, very fine recital--for fans, say, of Vaughan Williams. --Robert Levine
English song is well represented on disc, but there is certainly room for performances such as these, in particular given Naxos's asking price. Finzi's music might not display a very huge compositional range, but it is always superbly crafted and inventive and displaying a certain individual voice. As a song writer he might not be quite on the level of, say, Warlock, but I wouldn't want to miss out on at least some of the songs here. The disc opens with..
