Search - Paul Goodwin, Trevor Jones, Julie Lehwalder :: William Boyce: 8 Symphonies - The English Concert / Trevor Pinnock

Good Performances and Good Performance Practice--Except for

M. C. Passarella | Lawrenceville, GA | 10/01/2008

(4 out of 5 stars)

"Not symphonies in the modern sense, these little works are sinfonias or Italian overtures taken from the many entertainments--odes, operas, and the like--that Boyce penned over the years. They have been charming listeners ever since they were published as a group in 1760 and have always fared well on vinyl and on CD. The current recording is certainly one of the finer ones I've heard, with sprightly, energetic allegros and slow movements that properly emphasize stateliness, as well as Boyce's uncanny gift for melody. The playing by the English Concert is of the highest order throughout.



My only gripe--and it's an important one--is that Pinnock tries to improve on the composer's tempo markings. Now, it's true that with the exception of No. 6, which is bipartite, these overtures follow the fast-slow-fast model of the typical Italian overture. But Boyce clearly marked the second movement of Nos. 2 through 4 "Vivace." Lively they definitely aren't in these performances. They're played at a tempo that might generously be called allegretto but which is much closer to a stodgy andante. Same story for No. 1, whose central movement is marked "Moderato e dolce." Pinnock and Company play it sweetly enough, but again at that somewhat stultifying andante. In fact, Pinnock takes the Larghetto of No. 6 faster than he does the vivaces and moderatos, which is kind of puzzling, to say the least.



So as fine as the playing and recording are on this disc, I have to subtract a star for Pinnock's tendency to correct Mr. Boyce's lack of strict adherence to his Italian model.

"