One of Finzi's loveliest creations given an alchemical touch by Handley (has this orchestra ever sounded so golden?). The choir struggles to match, but Partridge sings with intimacy and understanding. Hadley's pastel-shaded score is a nice companion.

The works pair uncommonly well, especially in the way Finzi's opening follows Hadley's conclusion so naturally that the one might almost be a commentary on the other. And 'both of them speak of something that has gone': TheTrees tells of wasted youth, the Immortality Ode of lost vision. There's a contrast in that Finzi's chosen text does not impose its form as Hadley's folksong does. The young man's life falls, very conveniently for the 'symphonic ballad', into four phases, or movements: youth, marriage, fatherhood, death. Wordsworth, on the other hand, alternately cheers himself up and relapses into sad acknowledgement of an unwelcome fact; he also speculates or, some would say, philosophises. In form, it doesn't help the musician and it leads Finzi, in its 'cheering up' vein, to be musically untrue to himself: he keeps thinking he's Walton, and can't get Belshazzar's Feast (of all surely alien works) out of his mind. It's a deeply moving composition nevertheless.
The recordings date from 1978 (Hadley) and 1975 (Finzi) and continue to impress as fine performances.
They provide timely reminders that in Vernon Handley we had one of the best conductors of British music in this period.
The orchestral playing gives pleasure throughout, while the Guildford choir is heard to better advantage in the Finzi. Both soloists are ideally suited, and if we make special mention of Ian Partridge it is because his is the major undertaking.

The works pair uncommonly well, especially in the way Finzi's opening follows Hadley's conclusion so naturally that the one might almost be a commentary on the other. The recordings date from 1978 (Hadley) and 1975 Finzi. Both were warmly received on first issue and continue to impress as fine performances. They provide timely reminders that in Vernon Handley we had one of the best conductors of British music in this period. Both soloists are ideally suited, and if we make special mention of Ian Partridge it is because his is the major undertaking.

This is an astonishingly compelling recording which should be in every English music lover's collection...the beauty and intensity of Ian Partridge's singing are a key factor, and equally the choral singing is richly committed