Dies Natalis, Klarinetconcert, Farewell to Arms (1988)

"...Inspired performances under the direction of Richard Hickox. Dies natalis remains Finzi's finest work; one of those minor masterpieces which create their own very special atmosphere and are quite unlike anything else. True, the Elgar influence is there at the start, and Bach's in the "Salutation", but they are totally absorbed into Finzi's own idiom. The word-setting is a joy, so natural and spontaneous, and it is difficult to realize that composition was spread over 15 years, so fluent is the stream of melody. Martyn Hill sings it better than anyone else. Farewell to Arms comprises an Introduction and Aria, composed nearly 20 years apart, yet belonging to each other convincingly. The Aria (1926-8) sounds as if it was discarded from Dies natalis; it is good to have it on record and even better to have Michael Collins's entrancing performance of the Clarinet Concerto, with his rounded tone and aristocratic phrasing, backed by sensitive string-playing by the City of London Sinfonia." (Gramophone, 1988)