A little music by William Boyce today. These are six overtures culled from festive pieces and not the more familiar eight symphonies or overtures of Op 2. Anthony Lewis conducts the Lamoureux Orchestra from a 1962 stereo record issued by L'Oiseau Lyre. Admittedly, I find it a bit odd that this very English of composers would be led by an English conductor with a French orchestra but, no matter, this record represents the work of composer Gerald Finzi as an arranger, editor, and musicologist.
Anthony Lewis, of course, was one of the pioneers in resusitating the music of the contemporaries and predecessors of Handel. Through his efforts, the public came to appreciate and become of aware of such fine craftsmen as Arne, Stanley and Boyce. These men were highly influenced by Handel yet they developed stylistic peculiarities that set them apart from the great German-English giant. By he time these "overtures" were written, they were somewhat dated, at least by continental standards, but they do contain tuneful, well crafted and appropriately festive music. If anything, Boyce is always pleasant on the ear and easy on the heart.
I do wish that Lewis had had the opportunity to record with English musicians. The English always bring some sort of authority to their homegrown composers much like a Czech performance of Ma Vlast is easily distinguishable from one originating in say, Australia. Whatever the reasons for recording this in Paris, we are lucky to have this document of less frequently heard Boyce, reconstructed by a fine English composer of the 20th century.
DOWNLOAD
