Sibelius has always appealed to English maestros. Witness classic recordings and significant cycles by Anthony Collins, Malcolm Sargent, John Barbirolli, Thomas Beecham, and Colin Davis. Add to these names that of William Boughton, who, based on this two-CD compilation, has a fine feeling for the Finnish composer’s music. The first disc, recorded with the Royal Philharmonic, is new to me, and features a crackerjack performance of the Second symphony. Boughton’s approach is propulsive, yet never brutal or hurried; I prefer this somewhat crisp approach to the inflated and pompous ones usually heard. The two tone poems are handled in the same taut manner, and the orchestra plays all three works with splendid execution. The other CD was recorded with Boughton’s home ensemble, the English String Orchestra, expanded with wind players when called for in the scoring. Here again, Boughton’s readings seem right on the mark, featuring an especially sensitive and well-played version of the Pelléas et Mélisande Suite. The sound on the Royal Philharmonic disc is a bit mushy, a mid-hall perspective with excellent stage depth but a bit too much reverberation. The English String Orchestra CD was recorded closer, has good detail, and a more intimate sound appropriate to the smaller-scaled works on the disc. The sound rating, then, is an average of 6 and 8. These recordings won’t cause me to get rid of the ones by Barbirolli, Collins, or Beecham, but I will come back to them again.
