Earth and Air and Rain

English song is well represented on disc, but there is certainly room for performances such as these, in particular given Naxos's asking price. Finzi's music might not display a very huge compositional range, but it is always superbly crafted and inventive and displaying a certain individual voice. As a song writer he might not be quite on the level of, say, Warlock, but I wouldn't want to miss out on at least some of the songs here. The disc opens with Earth and Air and Rain, a masterly cycle of Thomas Harding setting composed between 1928 and 1932. The musical settings are marvelously responsive to Hardy's bleak but humane worldview, but also contrastive and nuanced in terms of atmosphere and mood. Highlights are probably the sensitive and touching `To Lizbie Browne' and of course the famous and, well, rollicking `Rollicum-Rorum', but I would also mention the eerily atmospheric In a churchyard.

To a Poet is a miscellany of songs gathered together after Finzi's death from his unpublished works. Unfortunately the collection displays little sense of unity and contains few works of particular interest; one is unfortunately left with the feeling that there was a reason, not just that he ran out of time, that the songs were left unpublished. The final cycle, however, By Footpath and Stile, is an early collection of settings of Hardy (again), this time scored for baritone and string quartet. It is a very effective work indeed, though not quite on the level of mastery displayed in the first cycle on the disc. It is a rather bleak thing on the theme of death and transcience, but there are some really memorable moments in there (this is a world premiere recording, apparently); overall, this is a very appealing score which, while no masterpiece perhaps, deserves the attention of potential listener.

Roderick Williams's warm, poignant baritone voice is eminently suited to the music; indeed he comes across as a master of light and shade and an impressive range of emotion; thoughtful and poignant and dramatic and nimble - and not the least charming and beautiful. His wide range of expressive resources ensures that one can listen to all the cycles here straight through without any feeling of monotony, although he does, I think, do his best in By Footpath and Stile. The contributions from Iain Burnside and the Sacconi Quartet are excellent as well. All in all, a rewarding collection, but I do think I'll recommend those unfamiliar with Finzi's songs to start with the earlier disc in this series.

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