It's hard to imagine a more beguiling start to this series or a more appealing introduction to Richard Rodney Bennett than this CD. It begins with a Partita that has a spring in its step and the breeze of the countryside blowing through it.
Bennett's way with fashioning long strands of melody is a special feature of his lyrical writing.
It's a gift he may owe, in part, to the songwriters he admires, like Kern and Arlen. In the Lullaby second movement there's a glorious outpouring of instrumental song ravishingly realised by the Philharmonia under Hickox's fervent direction.
The finale has players paired off in the manner of a concerto for orchestra.
A chanson by Josquin provides the theme for the Reflections on a Sixteenth Century Tune, which enshrines a homage to Peter Warlock, whose Capriol Suite similarly drew on Renaissance music.
The scoring is breathtaking, with soloists highlighted against the muted string ensemble. Jonathan Lemalu characterises Before Sleep well with colour, dynamics and some exquisite quiet singing in the upper voice, notably in Bennett's memorable setting of 'Twinkle, twinkle, little star'.
Reflections on a Scottish Folk Song ('Ca' the yowes') was written in memory of the Queen Mother. It's the most substantial piece here, with a formidable cello part played with great feeling by Paul Watkins. There is a Scottish lilt in some of the variations, a beautiful Interlude, and a brilliant finale that concludes pianissimo, like a Scottish mist enclosing by stealth. It's hard to imagine anyone not being enraptured by this CD.