Bax: Tingtagel / Delius: The Walk to the Paradise Garden / Ireland: A London Overture

1	Tintagel
2	A Village Romeo and Julie
3	Irmelin: Prelude
4	A Song of Summer
5	Koanga: La Calinda
6	In a Summer Garden
7	London Overture
Bax: Tingtagel / Delius: The Walk to the Paradise Garden / Ireland: A London Overture
1.	Tintagel, tone poem for orchestra 15:08
	Composed by Arnold Bax
	Conducted by John Barbirolli
	Performed by London Symphony Orchestra
2.	A Village Romeo & Juliet, lyric drama, RT i/6: The Walk to the Paradise Garden 9:53
	Composed by Frederick Delius
	Conducted by John Barbirolli
	Performed by London Symphony Orchestra
3.	Irmelin, prelude for orchestra, RT vi/27 5:50
	Composed by Frederick Delius
	Conducted by John Barbirolli
	Performed by London Symphony Orchestra
4.	A Song of Summer, for orchestra, RT vi/26 11:16
	Composed by Frederick Delius
	Conducted by John Barbirolli
	Performed by London Symphony Orchestra
5.	La Calinda, for orchestra (arrangement by Fenby of the dance from Act 2 of Koanga) 4:36
	Composed by Frederick Delius
	Conducted by John Barbirolli
	Performed by London Symphony Orchestra
6.	In a Summer Garden, rhapsody for orchestra, RT vi/17 15:05
	Composed by Frederick Delius
	Conducted by John Barbirolli
	Performed by London Symphony Orchestra
7.	A London Overture, for orchestra 12:21
	Composed by John Ireland
	Conducted by John Barbirolli
	Performed by The Hallé

All Music Guide

For lovers of English tone poems and fans of post-Romantic orchestral music at its most lush and expansive, these classic performances by Sir John Barbirolli are essential listening. Recorded in the 1960s with the London Symphony Orchestra and the Hallé Orchestra, the performances of works by Arnold Bax, Frederick Delius, and John Ireland have a slightly veiled quality due in part to EMI's conservative engineering, but also to some of the choices made by the conductor. Both orchestras have a somewhat muted tone in Barbirolli's interpretations, and the effect in most cases is appropriate to the mellow emotions of the pieces and their subtle orchestration. If any tracks are standouts, the 1965 performance Bax's "Tintagel" deserves pride of place for its rich scoring, stirring themes, and moody depiction of the famous castle on the Cornish coast. The vivid rendering of Ireland's "A London Overture," recorded on the same date as "Tintagel," also deserves high marks for its strong tone painting and rhythmic vitality. Delius' pieces are generally softer in their timbres and less clear-cut in their forms, often seeming like free rhapsodies on endlessly evolving melodies; to that end, Barbirolli brings out the flowing lyricism in "The Walk to the Paradise Garden," and infuses "A Song of Summer" and "In a Summer Garden" with a similarly heightened songfulness. This 2007 reissue in the Great Recordings of the Century series has been fully remastered, so these performances sound as good as they ever will, and tape hiss and other incidental background noises have been minimized. Blair Sanderson

All Music Guide

For lovers of English tone poems and fans of post-Romantic orchestral music at its most lush and expansive, these classic performances by Sir John Barbirolli are essential listening. Recorded in the 1960s with the London Symphony Orchestra and the Hallé Orchestra, the performances of works by Arnold Bax, Frederick Delius, and John Ireland have a slightly veiled quality due in part to EMI's conservative engineering, but also to some of the choices made by the conductor. Both orchestras have a somewhat muted tone in Barbirolli's interpretations, and the effect in most cases is appropriate to the mellow emotions of the pieces and their subtle orchestration. If any tracks are standouts, the 1965 performance Bax's "Tintagel" deserves pride of place for its rich scoring, stirring themes, and moody depiction of the famous castle on the Cornish coast. The vivid rendering of Ireland's "A London Overture," recorded on the same date as "Tintagel," also deserves high marks for its strong tone painting and rhythmic vitality. Delius' pieces are generally softer in their timbres and less clear-cut in their forms, often seeming like free rhapsodies on endlessly evolving melodies; to that end, Barbirolli brings out the flowing lyricism in "The Walk to the Paradise Garden," and infuses "A Song of Summer" and "In a Summer Garden" with a similarly heightened songfulness. This 2007 reissue in the Great Recordings of the Century series has been fully remastered, so these performances sound as good as they ever will, and tape hiss and other incidental background noises have been minimized. Blair Sanderson