Another excellent Lyrita
release of works by Frank Bridge, presenting
music that ranges from early compositions
in his lusher, more romantic style through
to his more terse and astringent later
‘voice’.
The disc opens with
the buoyant Dance Rhapsody, in
which Nicholas Braithwaite conducts
the London Philharmonic Orchestra with
a light and sparkling touch, and allows
the work to dance scintillatingly, full
of joy. He takes it at a faster pace
than Hickox - on the Bridge Orchestral
Works Chandos series - giving it an
exhilarating whirlwind of a performance.
The Dance Poem, ensues, in which
he captures well the quixotic, slightly
mysterious air of the piece, and leads
it through an intense and passionate
climax to a wonderfully insouciant conclusion.
The Two Poems follow, with an
apt sense of introspection and disquiet
in The Open Air, while the contrastingly
vivacious The Story of my Heart
is given an exuberant and chirpy performance.
Braithwaite creates
a rich orchestral sound in the overture
Rebus, in a well-paced and relaxed
rendition, enabling the elegance and
romanticism inherent in the piece to
shine through. The disc concludes with
the Allegro Moderato for string
orchestra, which conductor and orchestra
manage to invest with a wonderfully
radiant string sound, despite the astringency
of the music itself.
A good range of music
- excellent for those, perhaps, who
are not particularly familiar with this
all-too-little known composer, and would
like to explore the broad spectrum of
his works - and some top quality performances.
Nicholas Braithwaite and the London
Philharmonic Orchestra really get into
these splendid pieces and give them
their very best. This disc is a delight.
Em Marshall
see also reviews by Rob
Barnett (RECORDING OF THE MONTH
June07) and Jonathan
Woolf
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