William Boughton imparts tremendous zest to VW's Wasps Overture, fully in keeping with its breezy nature, and he gives the big central tune its true nobility. (Incidentally, will one of our enterprising record companies give us the complete incidental music, please?) The English Symphony Orchestra, an augmentation of Boughton's English String Orchestra, was formed last year and on this evidence is a vigorous and lively ensemble with an excellent trumpet section.
Michael Bochmann, I note, was a pupil of the late Frederick Grinke, whose recording of The lark ascending must have introduced this ravishing piece to many readers of Gramophone, as it did to me. Bochmann plays it like his teacher, with unaffected ease and a natural appreciation of its poetry. His tone is pure and steady, even at the stratospheric height to which the lark takes him The recording has the customary Nimbus fidelity
The two Delius items are early works, the Florida Suite being familiar from Beecham's EMI recording, which has an elan that neither Handley (Chandos) nor Boughton can emulate. Boughton's interpretation is prosaic, though only a Beecham would be able to find much poetry in this overlong and frankly dull, immature work in which the only real point of interest is that the second movement is the first version of what eventually became the popular ''La Calinda'' from Koanga, something that might have been mentioned in the accompanying notes.'