This disc offers nearly 70 minutes of beguilingly pleasant music, beginning with George Butterworth, whose Two English Idylls, The Banks of Green Willow, and A Shropshire Lad Rhapsody evoke the English countryside even more than their titles do. The same goes for Peter Warlock’s brief An Old Song. On the other hand, Patrick Hadley’s One Morning in Spring contains more mystery and drama than its bucolic title would suggest. With Herbert Howells’ stoic Procession we leave the relaxed, peaceful atmosphere far behind, and his Merry-eye travels beyond Britain’s borders, picking up Ravelian colors and gestures along the way. But Howells returns to his native soil in Music for a Prince, as well as in the moving Elegy for string quartet and string orchestra. Adrian Boult lives up to his reputation as a master of British music in these idiomatic, authoritative, and engaging performances–qualities that sustain throughout the various recording sessions with both the London Philharmonic and New Philharmonia orchestras. Lyrita’s 1970s analog productions reproduce with warmth and fullness in these remasterings. An excellent disc, with strong appeal for anglophiles and neophytes alike. [12/10/2007]
