Finzi's Intimations of Immortality from the
Bournemouth Symphony Orchestra
By Phil Smith, 20 March 2015
This concert was an unusual programme of music from the Bournemouth Symphony Orchestra,
viewing the passing of youth through a lens of nostalgia and sadness but, at the same time, also
dreaming of the sheer joy and exuberance of youth.
…. The second half of the concert was devoted to Gerald Finzi’s Intimations of Immortality. After
such a fine and sunny early Spring day in Poole, this work seemed all the more appropriate. Written
for tenor, mixed chorus and orchestra, the work was begun in the 1930s but was not completed until
1950, when it was given its first performance at the Gloucester Three Choirs Festival. The work is a
setting of Wordsworth’s Ode: Intimations of Immortality from Recollections of Early Childhood (a
lament for the lost joys and intuitive wonder of childhood). In a pre-concert talk, we were treated to
a reading of Wordsworth’s writing by the actor Tom Parish which was warmly received.
The work begins with an orchestral prelude and opening call, with a smooth horn call being finely
played by Nicolas Fleury (principal horn). The other-worldly opening illustrates the influence of
Vaughan Williams and, as Andrew Burn wrote in the programme notes, “it is as if Finzi were evoking
the poet Traherne’s lines, ‘An empty book is like an infant’s soul, in which anything may be
written…′”
The BSO and Chorus were on top form in the third stanza which was a delightful romp, conveying
the sheer delight of Spring’s frivolity and joy. In direct contrast, the fourth stanza then becomes
more sombre and contemplative. The contrast between light and shade very much characterises the
work and the BSO, under Hill’s direction, remained ever responsive to the changing moods and
demands of Finzi’s music as it ebbed and flowed, conveying the joys of life versus its sorrows.
Throughout the piece, from sensitively played, spacious Finzian melodies, to the beautiful and
sublime tenor singing of John Mark Ainsley, as well as Hill’s energy, enthusiasm and masterful
direction this was a very fine performance of a heartfelt masterpiece of choral writing.
Read complete article at http://bachtrack.com/review-finzi-ivanov-hill-bournemouth-march-2015