Gerald Finzi: By Footpath and Stile & other chamber works
The Finzi Quartet; Marcus Farnsworth, baritone; Robert Plane, clarinet; Ruth Bolister, oboe
RESONUS RES 10109 73.05
Gerald Finzi is still nowhere near as well recognised as he should be. This quietly wonderful new recording must make us ask yet again why this is so. The opening Romance is as delicate as an early spring flower, yet has the strength within its structure to weather any storm. There is no simplistic romanticism, though romantic it certainly is.
The Finzi Quartet bring elegance of musical line, as well as sensitivity of nuance throughout. Their solo items are compelling while their work with others expands the field without ever disrupting the hushed introspection of the whole disc.
Much of the credit for this must go to the arrangements of Christian Alexander which maintain the tentativeness of Finzi’s original scores without risking sentimentality or too extrovert a voice.
Marcus Farnsworth’s rich English tones sit comfortably with Thomas Hardy’s poems, finding the faith and hope inherent in The Oxen and the slight rise in intensity for Exeunt omnes.
The clarinet brings some fire to the Five Bagatelles, but does not outweigh the earlier mood of gentle melancholy. More please. BH