Yes, I have the Naxos disc too. As a very amateur clarinet player I gave a couple of public performances of the Bagatelles; some dodgy moments, but very rewardingOriginally Posted by Gromit
Agreed - up there with the very finest wind concertos ever written imho. Check out my avatar and you'll see a small part of the slow movement.
Robert Plane's recording is extremely sweet - if you haven't heard it, check out also the one he did of the Finzi 5 Bagatelles arranged for string orchestra (instead of piano). A sheer delight.
My personal Finzi-favourite of the concerto is probably the Andrew Marriner recording - with Ian Bostridge singing Dies Natalis on the same disc it's a wonderful pairing.. My sympathies with the Concerto go towards the Denman, not least because it was the recording that introduced me to the concerto, but because of local associations - Tod Handley was then still Music Director of the Guildford Phil, and John Denman, who I think was Professor of Clarinet at Trinity, was the orchestra's principle. Handley's London associations, and his winning way with players meant that half the Guildford Phil were London players, and for a while Hugh Bean was its leader. Watching Prom broadcasts by the LPO, Philharmonia, RPO you could play spot the Guildford Phil players.
My own minuscule addition to the Finzi discography was as a choir member on Handley's Lyrita recording of Intimations of Immortality with Ian Partridge.
I have to admit I did try to read the music on your avatar - but didn't guess it . .
As far as Dies Natalis goes, I have an old LP of Finzi's son, Christopher, conducting Wilfred Brown, and haven't wanted to stray from this . . .
I think one of Finzi's greatest gift was being able to write choral/vocal settings in a very naturalistic, almost speech like manner, that sidesteps all the mannerisms and extended vocalisations that seem to dog a lot of compositions. His words speak very simply and directly, and with his glorious melodic inventions, communicate all the better for it.
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