Customer Reviews

Finzi: Clarinet Concerto

5 star:		(10)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(0)
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This is one of my favorite CDs. The star of the show is the wonderful clarinet concerto, expressively played by Robert Plane, but all of the other pieces bear (demand!) repeated listening. The Romance in E flat major for string orchestra is some of the loveliest eight minutes of music you could ever hope to hear.

The concerto, romance, and all of the other pieces on this CD make a great introduction to one of the lesser-known 20th century British composers. Those looking for challenging, abrasive 20th century music best look elsewhere. But even though you probably won't be challenged by Finzi, you will be entertained and moved by him -- and want to return to him again and again. His gift for melody is on full display throughout, and none of the pieces overstays its welcome.

Warm and very human music, superbly played and excellently recorded, with just enough of a sun-dappled halo around the sound to convey the right atmosphere. One of the most glorious values among the many in Naxos' ever-surprising library of bargains.

I first became familiar with the Clarinet Concerto and five Bagatelles of Finzi through the 1991 RCA recording featuring Richard Stoltzman backed by the Guildhall String Ensemble. That was a marvelous recording but when you got to the compositions of Lawrence Ashmore, that filled the disk, it seemed to go down hill. Enjoyable works but just not of the same quality.

Once again Naxos delves into the British catalog and delivers a disc of masterful recordings. Personally I think Robert Plane's clarinet matches, if not surpasses, that of Stoltzman. The tone is rich and smooth throughout where Stolztman can get a bit harsh at times. Also Howard Griffiths does a splendid job leading the Northern Sinfonia as they provide a perfect backing for Plane on the Bagatelles and Concerto. Nicely balanced with the soloist.

For the last half hour of the disc the Northern Sinfonia takes over and we are presented with some more wonderful works by Finzi, which to me are simply superior to the Ashmore works that fill the RCA disc. I guess I really can't be too hard on Ashmore as he is the composer who wrote the wonderful arrangements of the Bagatelles performed on both disks: Finzi's original works were for clarinet and piano duo.

I also have to mention The Romance for string orchestra which alone is worth the price of the disc - a prime example of British "pastoral" music. Also the Introit for violin and small orchestra was another wonderful discovery for me and soloist Lesley Hatfield provides a heart felt performance.

Definitely one of those nice surprises from Naxos that not only matches the best the major labels have to offer but may in fact be the definitive recording. Naxos continues to produce one fine recording of British works after another. Keep it up.

(By the way, on Naxos catalog # 8.555766 Howard Griffiths returns with the Northern Sinfonia on another fine recording of Finzi works: this time the Concerto for cello and orchestra and the lush Eclogue for piano and strings. Also highly recommended.)

Thank goodness for Naxos!

For the price of a concert ticket you can risk buying a disc like this knowing if it isn't any good, you've not really lost more than an evening's listening.

And, if it is as good as this you've got a gem of a CD introducing you to a composer who you might otherwise never hear.

I won't make massive claims for Finzi: He is a Jane Austen of a composer - provincial, light, witty and entertaining. He isn't a Beethoven or a Brahms.

Having said that, there are moments of darkness, moments of depth, especially in the Clarinet Concerto (surely this recording should mean more live performances?), but the lasting impression is more of joy and, 'Englishness'.

Elgar lies behind this music, as does Vaughn Williams, Holst and Parry - and a whole host of English music teachers (all honourable!). Finzi isn't making (...) copies, he has a voice of his own, a voice with a very strong sense of place and time.

The performances are fine - Robert Plane's clarinet sings lyrically and the Northern Sinfonia under Howard Griffiths support well giving a breath of fresh air to this neglected repertoire.

(By the way - I like Jane Austen)

This is a marvelous introduction to Gerald Finzi, an underrated English composer whose conservatism left his music out of fashion in mid-century, but who is at last gaining deserved attention today. By all means listen to this and to the English String Orchestra disc on Nimbus, which offers another excellent Finzi collection. Those with vocal interests will love the exquisite song cycles on Hyperion (Varcoe & Hill w/Benson) and choral works on Chandos (Finzi Singers).

As a collector of clarinet concerto's, this is my favourite concerto. This Naxos cd is extreme value for money ! We hand them out as business gifts and everybody likes the cd very much,

This CD is a very valuable item for everyone who enjoys the orchestral works of Gerald Finzi! It is an excelent comprehension of his work! The warm method of playing the clarinet by Robert Plane and the superb support of the Northern Sinfonia conducted by Howard Griffiths makes it very pleasant to hear this CD over and over again. I used this CD several times in a classical radio program that I make myself (and I will use it in the future) and 'field reactions' to this music are most positive! Owners-to-be will certainly NOT be disappointed! Next to the very well known Clarinet Concerto this CD contains the less well known Five Bagatelles, each of which have there own sound, beauty and sphere! Love's Labour's Lost, inspired by Shakespeare's early comedy are very beautiful musical 'stills'. The Introit in F is a very well performed piece for solo violin and small orchestra and sounds like violins should sound: warm and melancholic.
This CD is (at my point of view) very recommendable!

Ask me who has the most original and unique nationalistic classical vibe on the planet, and I'll say merry old England. Here, Finzi continues the tradition of 20th century English warmth with his pleasent melodies and harmonic hot-doggery. Check out Finzi with Delius, Warlok, Vaughn Williams, Butterworth, and Perry and you'll see what I mean by the "English sound.

Maybe it's a reaction. I had been venturing off recently to listen to Adams and Daugherty, but now I have discovered Glazunov and Finzi and everything is beautiful. I am staying here. This collection of orchestral music by Gerald Finzi is fantastic; it's aural ecstacy from beginning to end. While the beautiful Clarinet Concerto and the fabulous Introit bookend the CD, it's filled in between with the delightful Bagatelles and the Romance for String Orchestra. The sound is great. This is one of my favorite CDs. While there are some discordant notes here and there (to remind you that Finzi lived in the 20th Century), this is the antidote to the metropolis and to cacophony! Try Glazunov too, particularly his Violin Concerto and his Fourth Symphony.

Being a lover of Vaughan Williams' music, I was eager to discover Gerald Finzi's music from the first moment I heard of him. His music was said to contain the same English, pastoral quality that Vaughan Williams, Holst, and Delius' music is full of. And when, I checked it out, I found that those sources were right on. But while Finzi's music also contains some wonderful qualities that are all his own. His music takes you back in time to a world of sublime relaxation. And this CD contains most of his famous compositions.

The album begins with the Clarinet Concerto. The first movement begins with yearning, slightly dissonant melody from the orchestra, after which the clarinet makes its entry. The theme is a gentle, smooth melody that receives breathtaking elaboration. The intense harmonies are absolutely stunning. The following movement is reflective and full of thought. The second movement is full of profound mediation. There is an ever-present dreaminess here that will inevitably sooth the listener. The finale is a gem of its own. After a short orchestral introduction, we hear a tune that is full of irresistible fun. But what is so impressive here is the contrast we hear in later tunes that are strongly nostalgic with a bit of melancholy. It brought tears to my eyes the first time I heard it - in fact, it still does. Plane's clarinet playing in this concerto is absolutely astounding. He has a simply wondrous way in delivering the concerto. All the gentle, nostalgic melancholy is interpreted in a way that delivers its full potential. And Griffiths' conducting is top-notch. He and the Northern Sinfonia interact in a chamber-like way with Plane.

Following the concerto, are the Five Bagatelles, also for clarinet and orchestra. Incidentally, the Bagatelles were originally for clarinet and piano, but here they are heard in an orchestral arrangement by Lawrence Ashmore. Despite being a pianist myself, I do not think the piano could possibly replace the wonderful music that spills from the Northern Sinfonia here. All the Bagatelles continue in the same lyrical, nostalgic vein that we hear in the concerto. My personal favorite is the 3rd Bagatelle -
the Carol. There is an unforgettable sense of memories here that is that is revealed in a peaceful way. Needless to say, the performance we get here is also stupendous.

The remaining music, while much less known, is by all means worth hearing. I have a personal bias towards the Severn Rhapsody and Introit. The Rhapsody is another piece containing a strong pastoral quality. And the Introit, originally intended to be the slow movement of a violin concerto, is incredibly refreshing. Sometimes I play it over and over again until I fall asleep.

Anyone wanting an album that will take you back in time should buy this CD. It's a real treasure.

This is an excellent release, and very possibly the finest version of Finzi's clarinet concerto around (although my familiarity with alternative versions is admittedly severely limited), also including superb performances of several lesser-known but very worthwhile works. The concerto is deservedly popular, due, I suppose, to its immediately appealing, charming, breezy elegance and fresh and amiable melodies. Robert Plane plays the solo part idiomatically, full of color and freshness, and the support from the Northern Sinfonia under Howard Griffiths is mostly equally impressive, apart from a few passages where the strings seem a little rough (not in any way a major problem).

The five bagatelles for clarinet and piano, orchestrated by Lawrence Ashmore, are not as memorable as the concerto, but charming and variegated enough to sustain even repeated listening, and the performances here are as good as in the concerto. No one would, I guess, make great claims for the Three Soliloquies either, but in performances as committed as these they come across as wonderfully lyrical, intimate reflections, well worth hearing. The early Severn Rhapsody is not entirely recognizable as Finzi and is, perhaps, worth hearing once but no more, despite the committed advocacy it receives here, whereas the beautiful Introit, the middle movement of his (destroyed) violin concerto (has it been reconstructed, I wonder?) is a wonderful piece, deeply moving and achingly intense. The Romance, on the other hand, is much lighter in spirit, yet very engaging nonetheless; and is the case for the other works, superbly performed. The sound quality is generally excellent, and in short, this is a superb disc indeed, and a must-hear for anyone with even a casual interest in British music of the period.