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This world-premiere recording demonstrates the versatility of the English composer who for too long has been associated only with The Immortal Hour. Although there is this association with Boughton, it was as a composer of large-scale choral and orchestral works that he first drew attention to himself in the early years of the twentieth century, and it was to orchestral music that he returned in the 1920's when circumstances forced him to abandon is operatic experiments. The Flute Concerto is wonderfully performed by the young flautist Emily Beynon most recently heard on CDA67089, John McCabe's Flute Concerto. The Concerto for String Orchestra was never published and remained untouched from 1937 until its premiere in 1997 (the players for whom it was written found it too demanding and it took until 1997 when the Bournemouth Sinfonietta gave it its first performance). It is a wonderful piece which has been likened to the great works for string orchestra by Elgar and Vaughan Williams. Aylesbury Games had produced a similar reaction from the dedicatees (the orchestra of Aylesbury Boughton's native town) and although it was composed in 1952 it took until 1978 for the orchestra to tackle a first performance. Sadly, Boughton therefore never heard it played.
I purchased this CD as I already knew the composer's other works, 'The Immortal Hour', and his Second Symphony (Deirdre) and most famous of all, his Third Symphony and his Oboe Concerto. Thus knowing these works I decided to take my chance with more but unknown works and this was a true delight! The music is of Boughton's gentler side, he can be dramatic as in his opera 'The Immortal Hour', but here he fits in with Moeran, Howells and Warlock as a master of the string orchestra or small orchestra. He is never catastrophic or lacking in melody. The Folk Dances include a string choir doing a version of 'All things bright and beautiful' that has something of the rollicking rhythm of Percy Grainger in his famous folk arrangements. In the 1940's/50s Boughton used to get the odd champion who would try to make his work more well known and then it would fizzle out. Today we have CDs and thereby do not have to worry about such operators who were doomed to failure in cases like this. Sure, Boughton is a multifaceted composer whose technical skills are second to none, but he is not a 'great composers', that is, in the mold of Elgar, Vaughan Williams or even Bax, my personal favourite. No, Boughton will never gain much public appeal but he will, like Moeran, Quilter, Ireland, Bridge and Bliss, win the hearts (and ears) of a minority cognoscenti who will obtain great pleasure that will by-pass the many. I would like to count myself among this smallish group but if word gets out that this CD is great listening, then, who knows, maybe this group will grow...I am not sure whether I like that too much. But the fact remains, this is a lovely CD, full of tuneful and generally happy music that will captivate and entyertain any lover of the 20 th century English Musical Renaissance. This sounds all nice fresh stuff that frolics around the Maytime meadow; I could imagine playing it on Christmas morning, first thing, to welcome the day.
