Bax at his very best!
K. Farrington | Missegre, France | 03/27/2000
(5 out of 5 stars)
"Bax was the master of the opening of a work. The gentle sea winds of 'the Garden of Fand' or the boiling waves of 'Tintagel' take us away from our prosaic everydayness and transport us immediately into his dream world of myth and legend. The opening of 'Spring Fire' is the best of all with its dripping woodland before dawn, full of expectant tension and thrilling expectation for the glorious day (and Bax work!) beyond. I am now going to be churlish but I believe that Handley takes us just a tad too fast on the beginning but that is minor and my only gripe at this wonderful, fabulous CD. This is the earliest Bax we have, dating from 1914, truly young man's music, full of impetuous energy and as powerful in its way as the ballets of his contemporary, Stravinsky. The harmonies and orchestration are as mature as any of Bax's work with no faults except that it never seems long enough to me. The music Bax wrote in this period for me is his very best when he seems almost 'possessed' by a spirit that tells him how to touch my very soul. He is never better in his orchestration which is the richest he ever achieved. The flights of solo violin and woodwind with celesta runs that almost reveal the fairy land to one with eyes shut. I wonder if there are any Bax works that predate this as the product is so assured I wonder if Bax was really a musical equivalent to Athene who came 'fully-fledged from the head of Zeus'. Every bar of this is magic, nothing else can be said about it. Bax never heard the work due to a sad set of coincidences although in his musical brain he must have 'heard it' and it must have been depressing in his later years when he was unable to recapture 'the ivory tower' of his youth. Apart from my little moan earlier, Handley takes through this rich garden of delights beautifully and the horn players must have had a field day with so much varied writing. The dance rhythms and the slow dreamy sequences are so wonderful. It is inconceivable why these works are not in the permanent repertory. I understand that 'Spring Fire' is now appearing in concerts in the United States. This is great news and I hope that the British wake up and take notice! The Symphonic Scherzo and Northern Ballad No 2 are equally fine. This is a maximum recomendation to all classical music fans everywhere!"
Track Listings (7) - Disc #1