This repackaging of Moeran’s shorter works offers predictably fine performances, well recorded. The outstanding work here is the Serenade, a sunny and smartly written work in which every note has its place. Both In the Mountain Country and the two Rhapsodies sound a bit like watered-down Vaughan Williams with a touch of Sibelius for good measure, but if you like either of those composers then you will like this. The Nocturne, for baritone, chorus, and orchestra, is one of those short choral works that you simply can’t imagine anyone wanting to perform these days, when regular symphony concerts featuring a chorus are a rarity. Its 13 minutes passes by attractively enough, though it’s no masterpiece. The words, by Robert Nichols, are especially tacky. No matter: this is good, harmless stuff.
