Sir George Dyson (1883-1964) hasn't survived so well as he might have done. His music is not easily forgotten, but some of it is only capable of being half-remembered. Let me say at once, and thankfully, that this record will make converts. Hierusalem, a setting of a poem rooted in the sixteenth century, some of whose verses appear in hymn books, is a brilliant splash of celestial colour. The depth of the orchestral perspective draws the listener into a heaven which Vaughan Williams also prospected and over which Valery Hill presides with a vocal magnificence of rare quality. The choir is necessarily part of the total scene, which reduces the evangelical impact of their words, but that seems the usual Dyson pattern when an orchestral foundation is used. The performance is superb. Rennert has the right sense of spaciousness and husbands his climaxes with measured artistry.
He is equally impressive playing the Fantasia and Ground Bass. This, like Hierusalem, is mature music written by an old man. Both are far superior to the other works on the record, though these are attractive enough. The Three Choral Hymns and the Three Songs of Praise display Dyson's sensitivity to words, harnessed to the establishment harmonies and breadth of phrase which would have made Mr Chips whistle softly through his dentures. The 150th Psalm, done for the 1937 Coronation, bears a faint touch of Walton. The recording is very good and would be even better on CD.'