Richard Hickox, BBC National Orchestra of Wales - Frank Bridge: Orchestral Works, Vol. 1-6 (2001-2005)
EAC Rip | FLAC (image+.cue, log) ~ 1,62 Gb | 07:05:05 | Scans included
Classical | Label: CHANDOS
Frank Bridge couldn't write a tacky note to save his life. It's instructive in this respect to compare this premiere recording of his early tone poem Mid of the Night to Hyperion's recent release of Granville Bantock's almost exactly contemporaneous Thalaba the Destroyer. Where Bantock stitches shameless cribs from Tchaikovsky into a ramshackle and repetitive musical structure, Bridge's thematic material covers large, well-sustained spans and consistently holds the listener's interest. The lovely central melody introduced by English horn against softly murmuring strings has real lyrical beauty, and Bridge times his climaxes with unerring precision. Isabella, dating from 1907 (three years later than Mid of the Night), features some splendidly passionate string writing and an even more tightly integrated structure.