STANFORD: Symphonies, Vol. 1 (Nos. 4 and 7) (Andrew Walton/ Bournemouth Symphony Orchestra/ David Lloyd-Jones) (Naxos: 8.570285)

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Of the British composers to have emerged immediately before Elgar, the most significant were Sir Hubert Parry and Sir Charles Stanford. This release marks Volume 1 of a complete series of Stanford Symphonies, a first for the Naxos catalogue. Central to Stanford's achievement are the seven symphonies covering the greater part of his career. Although they remain well within the stylistic orbit of Mendelssohn, Schumann and Brahms, these accomplished works are marked by resourceful orchestration and an often subtle approach to the standard movement formats. Symphony No. 4 is an attractive blend of passages of tragic, wistful beauty and jaunty, folk-like melodies, while Symphony No. 7, the shortest and most classical of the series, is characterized by a Mendelssohnian lightness.