Holst: Beni Mora

“All are played with finesse and character by the RSNO....Invocation eloquently played here by the cellist, Tim Hugh.....In short another Naxos winner”

2010

“This superb recording was made in the Henry Wood Hall, Glasgow. Lloyd-Jones has as his two weightiest items the Hardy-inspired Egdon Heath, arguably Holst's finest work, as well as the prelude and fugue Hammersmith, comparably dark and intense. In the latter he chooses the wind-band version, achieving a subtlety of shading in phrasing and dynamic amply to justify that striking choice. The Naxos sound is vividly atmospheric while letting one hear inner detail. Lloyd-Jones generally adopts flowing speeds and is objective in his interpretation while bringing out to the full the tenderness and refinement of the writing.
Particularly beautiful is the performance of A Somerset Rhapsody which opens the disc, with the cor anglais solo ravishingly played. The six works are neatly balanced, three dating from before the climactic period of The Planets and The Hymn ofJesus, and three after. Particularly valuable is the atmospheric Invocation for cello and orchestra of 1911, rather dismissed by Imogen Holst, but here given a yearningly intense, deeply thoughtful performance with Tim Hugh as soloist. This is a highly recommendable offering, whether for the dedicated Holstian or the newcomer wanting to investigate work outside The Planets.”