Bax: Symphony 1 & Symphony 7

Editorial Reviews
Amazon.com
Lyrita and Chandos have been the only labels to act as advocates of the music of Sir Arnold Bax (1883-1953). So far, this is the only release of Bax's symphonies on Lyrita and they are very much worth getting. Bax's music, though moody in places--and downright menacing in others--always has the ability to charm and cajole. The First Symphony (1922) is an example of his lighter touch. However, Bax can be flabby and a good conductor must keep things moving by keeping things tight--which Raymond Leppard's does. The Sevent here has perhaps more atmosphere than the First. --Paul Cook

Amazon.com

This 5-CD set includes all seven symphonies by Arnold Bax (1883-1953), the familiar tone poem Tintagel, and the Rogue's Comedy Overture in its premier recording. It also features Vernon Handley in two interviews--one with Lewis Foreman in the booklet, one with Andrew McGregor on the final disc. However, it's probably advisable to listen to it first, since Handley, one of Bax's most dedicated champions, has many illuminating things to say. Bax called himself "a brazen romantic....my music is the expression of emotional states." The symphonies, written between 1921 and 1939, certainly reflect both inner and outer events: the Irish Uprising, which deeply affected Bax, who loved Ireland and lost many friends to the "troubles," World War I and the looming threat of World War II. Perhaps the most striking and pervasive characteristic of the music is contrast. All the symphonies have three movements divided into many sections with different tempo indications, signaling changing mood and character. Indeed, moods change constantly, often abruptly and violently; dynamics surge and swell, climaxes build with increasingly ferocious power. The orchestration is masterful, creating color, texture, atmosphere and expression; at full throttle, the sound shakes the rafters. The music is predominantly serious, somber, dark, with outbursts of passion, turbulence, bitterness and anger, relieved by unexpectedly rambunctious and martial sections. Every symphony opens on low instruments, setting a dark, ominous mood, but several end with a triumphant flourish, while others fade away with an Epilogue in serenity or resignation. No. 7 is regarded as Bax's compositional farewell, No. 4 as "cheerful and blustery." The form is sometimes cyclical, with opening material returning in another guise, which, for the naked ear, is difficult to discern. Most memorable are the truly beautiful, luxuriously lyrical melodies that abound especially in the slow movements. The playing is first-rate throughout. --Edith Eisler

Customer Reviews:

Handley's set a cornerstone, but Thomson's still Immortal........2004-01-03

For anyone familiar or not so familiar with the music of Sir Arnold Bax (1883-1953) should start off with the interview disc (the fifth of the five disc set). Vernon Handley's interview, with Andrew McGregor, is without a doubt compelling, not just in terms of Handley's knowledge associated with Bax, but also in terms of the depth that comes with it. Handley appears to be the conductor who grew up knowing as much of Bax as Lewis Foreman, the composer's foremost biographer and advocate. Truthfully, an interview with the late Bryden Thomson should have been done during Chandos' making of the first set, for Thomson would have, as far as I'm concerned, added greater weight to our initial acquaintances and understanding of this great yet elusive composer. But, Handley's interview on the disc nicely supplements his first interview with Foreman, which is printed in the booklet.

The interview's introduction and epilogue are particularly thought provoking. And I find Handley's argument on the flaws of music criticism in accordance to fashion well taken, especially since Bax was the leading Symphonist until the mid-1930s, before Walton & Vaughan Williams entered the scene with their First & Fourth Symphonies respectively. Bax was criticized for being "too loose", too demanding orchestrally, and so forth. Yet Handley reminds us that Bax had an extraordinary sense of form and structure (influence to some extent by Glazunov as Handley aptly points out). Bax may well belong to the nationalist school of British composers, but he was much more than that. Sibelius & perhaps to an extent Rachmaninov were influential in Bax' brooding moods and his sense of color. Yet his journey was as long and searching as his contemporaneous Russian counterpart, Nikolay Myaskovsky, who, like Bax, remains as deep and resourceful as ever.

Well,...onto the performances. Let me say up front that Handley's grip of the symphonies demonstrates his understanding of Bax' language, which as he points out, is essential in projecting and conveying music in its most meaningfulness. Handley's view of the First Symphony (1921-1922) is the most dramatic and urgent on record. And while David Lloyd-Jones' reading captures the anguish and the contemptuousness of the Symphony to perfection, Handley never fails to relish the first movement's sense of rebellion. The Lento solenne movement is mournful, but Lloyd-Jones brings out more of the darkness and the funereal quality to it.

Interpretatively, Bryden Thomson leads the way in the Second and Third Symphonies, the former which is without a doubt Bax' most darkest. Handley painted the dark colorism of the work with convincing results. But his tempi to an extent robs the epic quality of its first movement, with the BBC Philharmonic sounding a tad thinner than Thomson's London Philharmonic (LPO). It's a fierce reading no doubt, but I like how Thomson reminds me of how even Vaughan Williams may have been influenced by this piece when composing his Fourth & Sixth Symphonies. The second movement is beautifully done, even by Myer Fredman (Lyrita LP-nla). Yet Thomson's ability to make the music glow in its own world pays wondrous dividends. Not only that, but the climax and its buildup proved to be a shattering experience. The ability to make Bax' music glow is essential, as in the case of the Third Symphony. There's something enchanting in the first movement's lento moderato section under Thomson. But the ongoing development is sweeter yet fuller in tone in Thomson's London Philharmonic. And I like the magic he brings forth in the climax (announced by the anvil). Handley's reading is special, but he speeds things up a bit too much and robs the music some of its glow. Not so in the Lento second movement which is beautifully rendered. But I savor Thomson's ceremonious way of the final movement leading to its epilogue, which is perfectly idyllic.

I have no qualms in Handley's vivid performances of the Fourth & Fifth Symphonies. As he points out, the Fourth should be better known and its gaiety does not necessarily imply weakness. Well said, since Bax was going onto a different style and self-definition. But regarding the Fifth, Raymond Leppard's recording is perhaps the best on record, not only because he remains tight in his control, but he also allows the music to dispel its sense of wonder in the Poco lento movement. His phrasings are perfect and the LPO provides some wonderful relishments. Thomson is likewise marvelous and the most magical in the slow movement. Handley's grip of the work, a mountain to climb as he describes it, is quite as strong and compelling.

The Sixth Symphony, very much like his Winter Legends, is what Handley describes as pagan music-not hedonistic but secular. It's landscape is as cold and detached, yet wild as Winter Legends, and Handley brought forth those facets to thrilling effects. Though I warm to the Third Symphony more any others, I agree with Handley that Bax' Sixth is among the greatest symphonies of the 20th Century. The ostinato beginning played by the tubas spells out the nature of the work: the mood that's bleak and contemplative. The epilogue I think serves as quite a foretaste of Vaughan Williams Sixth, among the most bleakest passages ever written (as with Myaskovsky's Thirteenth of 1932). I can't find fault with Handley's reading of, as he calls it "a frightening score." He projects the wildness of the first movement ideally while the slow movement is elegant. While the finale is very well done, Thomson brings out that extra sense of loss and inner contemplation in the epilogue. He's the most effective performer in the Seventh, Bax' most relax symphony: Not just because he gives us more of the majestics and the pompousness in the first movement, or the inner beauty and rapt poetry of the second, but the epilogue is simply more poignantly conveyed in its sadness as Bax' was saying goodbye to the adventurous world he knew (he wrote his autobiography "Farewell My Youth" during that time).

In closing, this album is a revelation, for Vernon Handley (who's way overdue for knighthood) gives us plenty of reasons to re-think and reexamine Bax as a major force in British music (and plenty of credits must be given to David Lloyd-Jones under the Naxos series in that regard). The BBC Philharmonic is excellent, especially in Tintagel & the Rogue's Comedy Overture, even though this great orchestra does demonstrate at places a wanting in greater sonority and involvement.

But my heart remains with Thomson. Although his tempi can at times sound laborious, Thomson, to me, knew how to project the inner beauty and wonder behind Bax' music without really over-stretching it. The heart is definitely on his sleeves which, as far as Bax is concerned, is a good thing.

Superb advocacy for superb music.......2003-12-16

Why the English symphonic repertoire is so direly underrepresented on the international (and certainly the Dutch) concert stage remains an enigma to me, all the more baffling when listening to these fabulous symphonies. Bax has it all: lush melodies, endless incident, spectacular orchestration, shimmering mystery, haunting epilogues - anybody who likes Richard Strauss or Respighi cannot but love this music, and I wager that Bax has lots more to offer in the way of emotional substance than either of them. Bless Vernon Handley, the BBC Phil and Chandos for giving us this "Bax Box", which is a veritable treasure trove. Handley knows these works inside and out and is utterly committed to this music (and genuinely peeved at its neglect, as can be heard on the fifth disc containing an involving hour long interview). This is readily communicated in music making of white heat, resulting in some of the most compelling performances I've ever heard of any pieces. The Epilogue of the Third (surely among the finest pages in all of English music) literally brought me to tears!
Chandos's commitment to Bax is such that this is in fact their second cycle, an earlier one having been recorded by Bryden Thomson, who took a quite different view from Handley. Richly and reverberantly recorded, Thomson made the most of the swelling, romantic melodies - after hearing him, the beautiful tune of the Fifth's epilogue sounds just a tad plain in Handley's version; also, in comparison I found the dark tragedy of the Second somewhat lightweight with Handley, and quite overpowering in Thomson's hands. But the latter's structural grip on the music is some way behind that of Handley, so that at times it does indeed blur into the generalized, shapelessly chromatic washes of sound that have given Bax some bad press. No such thing happens in this new set: helped by more energetic speeds as well as a drier, more transparent recording and somewhat thinner string tone, the rhythmic underpinning of the music is continuously present, and the many simultaneous voices never push each other away, but rather reveal their intricate interrelations. This does a great service to Bax, fully revealing his genius as a musical architect and indeed as a top rank composer, every bit as worthy of general recognition as Vaughan Williams, Elgar, Holst or Britten. And not only is Handley's sound more transparent, it also encompasses a thrilling dynamic range, accommodating moments of quiet reticence as easily as the most extroverted outbursts - for a thrilling demonstration of the latter, just listen to the beginning of the Fourth, with the organ, so lamentably lost in the general hubbub on Thomson's recording now a spectacular presence from the very first bar. If I had to single out one symphony, that Fourth is for me the high point of this cycle, if indeed such a thing exists among interpretations that are all of the highest possible quality. For those who do not know Bax, it might be a good place to start sampling - or you might even want to acquire an installment in the excellent Naxos cycle with Lloyd-Jones as a low-risk point of entry. Though that would still be a waste of money, as in the end you simply cannot be without this touchstone set if you care even the slightest bit about English music (and you should!).

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William Primrose Collection, Vol.1

Manufacturer: Doremi Records
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

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Handel: Concerto in B/Walton: Viola Concerto/Williams: Flos Campi/Bach: Komm/Schubert: Litanei/Dvorak: Humoresque/Nev
The Early Recordings, Violin and Viola

ASIN: B00000DG46
Release Date: 1998-10-20

Tracks:

Berlioz: Harold In Italy, Op. 16: I. Harold In The Mountains
Berlioz: Harold In Italy, Op. 16: II. March Of The Pilgrims
Berlioz: Harold In Italy, Op. 16: III. Serenade
Berlioz: Harold In Italy, Op. 16: IV. Orgy Of The Brigands
Bax: Son: I. Allegro Moderato - William Primrose/Harriet Cohen
Bax: Son: II. Allegro Energico Ma Non Troppo Presto - William Primrose/Harriet Cohen W
Bax: Son: III. Molto Lento - William Primrose/Harriet Cohen

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Green & Pleasant Land

Manufacturer: Naxos
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

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ASIN: B00008ZZ2Y
Release Date: 2003-11-18

Tracks:

Symphony In G Minor: Vivace - Bournemouth Symphony Orchestra
Clear And Gentle Stream - Choir Of St. John's College, Cambridge
The Shropshire Lad: Loveliest Of Trees - Christopher Maltman
Two Aquarelles: Gaily, But Not Quick - David Lloyd-Jones
Summer Music - Royal Scottish National Orchestra
In The Wood: Adagio - Nicholas Daniel
Sospiri - English Northern Philharmonia
As You Like It: Under The Greenwood Tree - Andrew Penny
Egdon Heath - Royal Scottish National Orchestra
On Wenlock Edge - Anthony Rolfe Johnson
Like As The Hart - Choir Of St. John's College, Cambridge
Alla Marcia - Maggini Quartet
A Cotswold Hill Tune - David Lloyd-Jones
Vivace - Andrew Penny
Andantino - Andrew Penny
Con Moto - Andrew Penny
Allegro Ma Non Troppo - Andrew Penny

Album Description

A delightful selection of English music with a pastoral theme featuring several individual tracks from award winning discs in the British Music series. Performed by the elite of British artists such as the Maggini Quartet, the Choir of St. John's College Cambridge and the Royal Scottish National Orchestra under David Lloyd-Jones.

Sir Malcolm Sargent Conducts British Music

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Sir Malcolm Sargent Conducts British Music

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ASIN: B00008ERVH
Release Date: 1995-05-23

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enduring Bax recordings from the Lyrita catalog

Bax: Symphony No. 1; Symphony No. 7

Manufacturer: Lyrita
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

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Rawsthorne: Symphonies 1, 2 & 3
Imogen Holst conducts Gustav Holst

ASIN: B000027QWX
Release Date: 2006-11-14

Tracks:

1st Movement: Allegro Moderato E Feroce
2nd Movement: Lento Solenne
3rd Movement: Allegro Maestoso-Allegro Vivace Ma Non Troppo Presto
1st Movement: Allegro
2nd Movement: Lento-Piu Mosso (In Legendary Mood)
3rd Movement: Allegro-Theme & Variations-Epilogue

Album Description

"This Lyrita release is most welcome--the coupling of Bax's first and last symphonic thoughts makes a good deal of sense. Both recordings still sound very well, and both performances are excellent. Returning to Leppard's Seventh, with the almost Elgarian breadth that he draws from the theme of its finale's variations, was an even more absorbing experience" - GRAMOPHONE

Bax was unique among British composers in creating a sound world that evokes a wild, romantic, legendary landscape. His seven symphonies are all pictures of northern seas and forests, bathed in mystical light. The 7th (1939) rounds off the series with a serene, autumnal epilogue.

Customer Reviews:

enduring Bax recordings from the Lyrita catalog.......2007-06-21

My initial exposure to these great Bax symphonies was through the Musical Heritage Society, which licensed many recordings from Lyrita in the 1970's. At the time, MHS was practically the sole source for much of the music from Britain's great 20th century composers, including Alwyn, Bax, Moeran, Finzi, Rubbra, Holst, and Ireland among others. Although the Lyrita recordings were often the only ones available of various compositions, many were (and still are) definitive. Many were conducted by Adrian Boult, who was a great champion of British music (his Vaughan Williams is still the best, to my ears) as well as by Norman Del Mar, Raymond Leppard & a young Vernon Handley.

Among the many outstanding releases licensed by MHS from Lyrita were these great London Philharmonic Bax recordings: Symphony No. 1, conducted by Myer Fredman & the Seventh Symphony conducted by Raymond Leppard. These works have been recorded more recently by David Lloyd Jones (Naxos) and Vernon Handley (Chandos), but I still think these later efforts, fine as they may be, are eclipsed by Fredman & Leppard. There is a grandeur that each conductor brings to the score, which is so necessary to get Bax right, that gives them an edge over the competition. The sound, from 1971 & 1975 respectively, is not a concern (for that matter, I think it's at least equal if not superior to Handley's 2003 cycle, which was recorded at a low level).

Very highly recommended!

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Great British Orchestral Classics

Manufacturer: Chandos
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

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ASIN: B000AA4JCA
Release Date: 2005-09-20

Tracks:

Prelude - Academy Of St Martin In The Fields
Fugue - Academy Of St Martin In The Fields
The Lark Ascending - Michael Davis
Jig - City Of London Sinfonia
The Banks Of Green Willow - London Symphony Orchestra
Chanson De Matin - Bournemouth Sinfonietta
Popular Song - London Philharmonic Orchestra
633 Squadron - BBC Philharmonic
March - BBC Philharmonic
Tam O' Shanter - BBC Philharmonic
Salut D'Amour - Bournemouth Sinfonietta
Fantasia on 'Greensleeves' - London Symphony Orchestra
On Hearing The First Cuckoo in Spring - London Philharmonic Orchestra
Jupiter - Royal Scottish National Orchestra
Fugue - Bournemouth Sinfonietta

Tracks:

Crown Imperial (Coronation March) - Philharmonia Orchestra
Cello Concerto, Movement I (Extract) - Ralph Kirshbaum
Playful Pizzicato - I Musici De Montreal
The Holy Boy - English Chamber Orchestra
Nimrod - Royal Scottish National Orchestra
Seascape - Ulster Orchestra
Basse-Danse - Bournemouth Sinfonietta
The Londonderry Air - Ulster Orchestra
Allegro Piacevole - Bournemouth Sinfonietta
Summer Night On The River - London Philharmonic Orchestra
Dawn - Ulster Orchestra
Tintagel - Ulster Orchestra
March - BBC Philharmonic
Pomp And Circumstance March No.1 - Royal Scottish National Orchestra

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One of opera's legendary figures sings lieder.

Kirsten Flagstad, Volume 4

Manufacturer: Simax
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

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One of opera's legendary figures sings lieder........2001-08-17

The Norwegian Kirsten Flagstad was the pre-eminent Wagnerian soprano of the 20th century, but she also gave hundreds of lieder and song recitals, the pick of which bejewel this ravishing double CD. the first offers three complete song-cycles, Grieg's rippling 'Haugtussa', all pastoral maidens and brooks, Flagstad singing as light as a breeze; Wagner's 'Wesendonck-Lieder', that ghost of his masterpiece 'Tristan and Isolde', my favourite lieder cycle - this is the best interpretation I have ever heard, passionate, yearning and, in 'Im Treibhaus' and 'Traume', genuinely spine-tingling. Sibelius' enchanting songs complete the CD, with 'The Maiden's Tryst' unexpectedly lush and romantic.

The second disc of Anglo-American songs may be less demanding, but are no less delightful. Highlights include Landan Ronald's operettish 'O Lovely Night', Frank Bridge's rollicking 'Love Went A-Riding', Bax's hushed 'The White Peace', Elgar's hymn-like tribute to his vocation 'Speak Music', Delius' rapturous 'Love's Philosophy', as well as a tantalisingly muffled 1937 recording of Stephen Foster's 'Old Folks at Home'. There are also no less than four lullabies, which attests to the Victorian hangover on bourgeois tastes in the middle of the last century.

Tracks:

Mars, The Bringer Of War - Royal Scottish National Orchestra
Sabre Dance - Czecho-Slovak Radio Symphony Orchestra
Malambo - Enrique Batiz
Ride Of The Valkyries - Czecho-Slovak Radio Symphony Orchestra
Tzigane - Marat Bisengaliev
Overture To Ruslan And Ludmilla - Anthony Bramall
Allegro Vivace - Maggini String Quartet
Dies Arae (Chorus) - Hungarian State Opera Choir
Ritual Fire Dance - Czecho-Slovak Radio Symphony Orchestra
Dance Of The Knights - Andrew Mogrelia
Joie Du Sang Des Etoiles - Thomas Bloch
Allegro - Alexander Rahbari
Molto Allegro E Appassionato - Wendy Warner
King Kashchey's Infernal Dance - Alexander Rahbari
O Fortuna - Czecho-Slovak Radio Symphony Orchestra

Tracks:

Adagio - Moderato - Maria Kliegel
'Siste Farvel' (The Last Farewell) - Royal Scottish National Orchestra
Vocalise Op.34 No.14 - Vytautas Sondeckis
O Soave Fanciulla - Luba Orgonasova
Intermezzo - Czecho-Slovak Radio Symphony Orchestra
Aria - Royal Ballet Sinfonia
Liebestod - Johannes Wildner
Idylle Printemps - English Northern Philharmonia
Lento - Vlach Quartet Prague
Gluck, Das Mir Verblieb - Thomas Sunnegardh
Rhythmic Variations On Two Ancient Hymns - Kenneth Schermerhorn
Adagio For Strings, Op.11 - Marin Alsop

Customer Reviews:

Classical Wonder.......2003-05-18

As an avid classical music listener, and cellist, Classical Heat was the perfect blend of energized, fast-paced works, and then on the second disk, a more mellow, yet still firey, works. I would recommend this CD set to every classical listener, even people that don't normally like the classical genre will enjoy this cd.

Beware the Flame.......2002-06-14

Trumpet blasts, french horn flares, all the way to the subtle reeds of the bassoon. This album will keep you interested and awake all the way through. Paired with its sister album "Classical Chill", they can be the perfect mix you have been looking for. Musician and listener alike: This CD is a must have.

Nominations for the Gramophone Awards 2000

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Nominations for the Gramophone Awards 2000

Manufacturer: Naxos
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

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ASIN: B00004WMXC
Release Date: 2000-11-14

Tracks:

Moderato From Cello Concerto - Tim Hugh
Lento From Symphony No. 3 - Royal Scottish National Orchestra
Allegramente From Piano Quartet - Peter Donohoe
Allegro Ma Non Troppo From Symphony No. 1 - Marin Alsop
Te Deum In C - Christopher Robinson
Mir Ist So Wunderbar From Fidelio - Michael Halasz
Scherzo: Allegretto - Paul Daniel

Arnold Bax: Symphony No.1 in E Flat/Christmas Eve

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Rarely heard musical gem
Celtic mythology and the music of Arnold Bax
Dark Bax!

Arnold Bax: Symphony No.1 in E Flat/Christmas Eve

Manufacturer: Chandos
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

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Tracks:

Sym No.1 in E flat: I. Allegro Moderato E Feroce
Sym No.1 in E flat: II. Lento Solenne
Sym No.1 in E flat: III. Allegro Maestoso, Allegro Vivace Ma Non Troppo Presto, Tem Po Di Marcia Tri
Christmas Eve - Malcolm Hicks

Customer Reviews:

Rarely heard musical gem.......2006-12-28

This album features the London Philharmonic Orchestra playing Sir Arnold Bax's Symphony No. 1 and his tone poem Christmas Eve. Bax originally composed the first piece as a piano sonata and then orchestrated it as a symphony. Its first movement is dramatic and warlike. The second movement is slow and ominous, building up and leading right into a majestic third movement. Following the First Symphony is the rarely heard but incredibly beautiful Christmas Eve. Despite its title, Christmas Eve isn't holiday or celebratory music. Rather, it has an eerie, haunting beauty to it. Toward the end of the piece, there is a rising, whirling sensation which culminates in a glorious organ solo by Malcolm Hicks. The album notes contain an informative essay by Lewis Foreman on Bax and the composition of the two featured pieces.

Both pieces are worth listening to, but the second, less familiar piece, Christmas Eve, is particularly worthwhile.

Celtic mythology and the music of Arnold Bax.......2004-09-23

Arnold Bax wrote this symphony orginally as a piano sonata. He realized the possibilities of his first symphony when he orchestrated it soon after completing the sonata. The outer movements reflect the storm and stress of the time, shortly after World War I and the smashing of the Irish Easter Rising of 1916. The middle movement, in particular, reflects Bax's fascination with everyting Celtic. He creates sonic structures that remind one of the creation of Ireland by the ancient Celtic gods.

Dark Bax!.......2000-05-04

Like many veteran Bax fans, I have the Lyrita 1971 recording with Fredman and the LPO of Bax's First who 'broke the duck' for which I am particularly grateful. The question arises however: is the new CD up to the old performance. The answer is a resounding yes! The First Symphony of Bax started out as his Third Piano Sonata in 1921 which he orchestrated, adding a new slow movement in 1922. At this time, Bax had a stormy love affair going on with 'Tania' (Harriet Cohen) as well as his despair over the Easter Rebellion of 1916 and its aftermath. This symphony is Bax's briefest symphonic composition but it is not his least. The first movement starts with a motto theme with a distinctive rapping rhythm not unlike that of Beethoven's Fifth Symphony. Fate is suggested as in the work but here Bax invokes emotions like vehemance, anger, frustration to which he adds sobbing grief in the second movement. A tale is implicit with black, stormy skies in the opening and in the Lento solemne movement a funereal atmosphere is created by Bax's use of drums with the snares loosened 'as at a funeral'. The sinking grief is underpinned by repetitious bugle calls throughout the movement. The finale opts for a triumphal use of the motto figure from the first movement but this seems hollow and the end feeling is of outstanding matters which need to be resolved at a subsequent time. The orchestration is characteristic early Bax but is dark with the low strings and low brass prevailing over the rest of the orchestra. Listen to the climax early on in the second movement which gives the trombones some wonderful work. The music dies away and a chant comes out of the darkness of the agitated basses. This seems to be looking back at the ancient times of old Ireland, 'the land of the saints and the scholars', to assist us in transcending the naked grief of the opening. However, Bax falls back in terror and anger into catastrophic material that he will exploit in the Second Symphony. The feeling of the end of this movement is of sad resignation and exhaustion as the opening harmonic discord. The other piece, 'Christmas Eve' is a much slighter piece coming from 1912. It has some good atmosphere and shows some deft touches of orchestration but is not up to 'Spring Fire' or 'the Garden of Fand' in Bax sustained musical poetry. Nevertheless, any piece of Bax is welcome on CD as far as I am concerned! I now have the Fredman on CD together with the 7th symphony conducted by Leppard. I now play both versions and they are both excellent to my ear!

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