,The 11 popular recordings of English orchestral repertoire joined together here do indeed constitute Lyrita's classics. All the pieces will be instantly recognizable to British audiences, from
Elgar's martial "Pomp and Circumstance No. 5" through
Warlock's delightful "Capriol Suite" to
Vaughan Williams' sanctified "Tallis Fantasia." Some may be less readily identifiable to a non-Anglophile audience -- the Galop from
Balfe's "Bohemian Girl" and the "Hornpipe" from
Berners' "Triumph of Neptune" may not ring any bells with some listeners, but taken all together, they are representative of the range of English orchestral music. The range of conductors is equally impressive. Along with such stalwarts as
Adrian Boult,
Vernon Handley and
Andrew Davis are the equally adept
Nicholas Braithwaite and
Myer Fredman and, in
Holst's "St. Paul's Suite," the absolutely appropriate
Imogen Holst, the composer's daughter. And the orchestras are simply the finest in London: the Philharmonia, the
New Philharmonia, the
London Philharmonic, the
London Symphony, and the
English Chamber Orchestra. If you want to get a taste of either English orchestral music or Lyrita's catalog, this disc is the ideal choice. Recorded in stereo between 1968 and 1979, the sound here is consistently clear, cool, deep, and detailed.
