Search - Granville Bantock, Frank Bridge, George Butterworth :: Bridge: Suite for Strings; Butterworth: The Banks of Green Willow; Bantock: The Pierrot of the Minute

Bridge & bantock Masterpieces.

bonerfly | NY | 12/20/2005

(5 out of 5 stars)

"I am surprised to be the first to rate this CD. It contains some f the most beautiful English string and pastorale music in the repertoire. There Is A Willow Grows Aslant, Suite For Strings and Summer are arguably the most refreshingly beautiful pieces Bridge ever wrote. This is GORGEOUS music. And WILLOW is his Masterpiece. 9:19 of sweet, creative, and to the point beauty, that could never outstay it's welcome. The BIG surprise here though, is Bantock's Pierrot Of The Minute. A genuinely clever, jaunty and witty 11 minutes that suggests nothing of what most listeners came to expect from his Symphonies. Another Masterpiece that puts all its ideas in a perfect time frame. The Butterworth piece is similar to Bridge's Willow in style, but also excellent on it's own terms. I have never cared much for Del Mar, but here he is as good as he can be and The Bournemouth Sinfonietta sounds fantastic under his direction. All the right color, dynamics and sonics. The sound is close to Demonstration as most Chandos releases usually are. Clear, Warm and rich with the required depth. This is GREAT stuff for all fans of English pastoral and strings. A real sleeper.."