# Gerald Finzi



## billberry (Jul 16, 2014)

A favourite piece of mine is Dies Natalis, anyone else enjoy this?


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## SONNET CLV (May 31, 2014)

Yes. I do.

I especially love the Cello Concerto in A minor, Op 40. It's long been one of my favorite works, and maybe my favorite Cello Concerto.

Finzi's Clarinet Concerto is great, too. Some consider it more highly than the Cello Concerto. It may be a finer work, and it's beautiful, too, but I still prefer the Cello Concerto.

The Choral work based on Wordsworth's great ode _Intimations of Immortality _is good, too. Gerald Finzi is well worth exploring.


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## jimsumner (Jul 7, 2013)

His clarinet concerto is my second favorite work for that combination, after the Mozart.


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## billberry (Jul 16, 2014)

Thanks for the suggestions, I will look out for them.


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## Trout (Apr 11, 2011)

Quite simply, Finzi is one of my favorite composers of all time. Although he only crafted a handful of works (only 40 opuses, none of them really large-scale) due to his perfectionism, much of it is of the highest quality. Here is a list of my favorite works:

*Introit for Solo Violin and Small Orchestra, op. 6*
You will find that the works Finzi did complete are hardly to the size of a full concerto or orchestral piece. This piece is in fact the middle movement of an unofficial violin concerto that he never intended to be released (you can also listen to the jovial and succinct "3rd movement" titled Hornpipe). However, it is definitely substantive enough to stand alone. The violin and orchestra together carry a wondrous and delicate phrase throughout as co-existing equals without becoming repetitive. Graceful, yet somber, it is a very fine and comforting piece of music.

*Dies Natalis, cantata for strings and solo voice, op. 8*
_Dies Natalis_ is, indeed, a great piece of music. While I do not exalt the work as some others do, considering it his masterpiece, there are some really moving passages, the 2nd theme of the Intrada, for example, and the overall beautiful vocal writing, which is, in my opinion, among his best of his wide selection of vocal works.

*Eclogue for Piano and Orchestra, op. 10*
This is another piece that was originally intended to be the middle movement of a larger concerto, but was published separately. The _Eclogue_, as opposed to the _Introit_, has a greater feel as being part of a concerto considering the separate passages of the solo piano and the orchestra before. But, again, its isolation is no matter as Finzi's superb craftsmanship is evident once more by taking a simple and charming musical idea on the piano and expanding it into a 10-minute piece that continuously sustains the listener's interests. It develops and changes just as the direction of the piece alters as well, going from soft and resigning to ominous and back in the last few minutes with a great climactic moment in the middle.

*Romance for String Orchestra, op. 11*
Get ready for a stunner, for sure. At only about 8 minutes, this piece contains everything great about Finzi and is one of my most treasured across all composers and eras. Like much of Finzi's oeuvre, there is hardly anything "new" or advanced being conveyed for the time period, but it is just extremely well done that it should nevertheless be noticed. From the amazing central theme to the yearning and gorgeous middle section led by a solo violin that builds and resolves back to its starting point, I only fear that I will hear this work too often such that it loses its magic.

*A Young Man's Exhortation, song cycle for tenor and piano, op. 14*
This is my favorite of Finzi's many song cycles, but that may be perhaps because its idiom is closer to some of the aforementioned works than some of the later ones. It is beautiful, yet appropriately bittersweet considering the subject matter as Hardy's poems deal with the retrospection of youth and love.

*Five Bagatelles for Clarinet and Piano, op. 23*
One of Finzi's only chamber works, these Bagatelles seem to be somewhat of a misnomer as, while they are each only a few minutes in length, I do not consider them light music at all. Each one is filled with moments of wistfulness and nostalgia. In fact, they kind of work as a progression in which feelings of joviality bookends the five works. They were not exactly my favorite pieces when I first heard them, but they have definitely grown on me.

*In Terra Pax, a "Christmas Scene" for soprano and baritone soloists, chorus, strings, harp, and cymbal, op. 39*
Written at the very end of his life, Finzi based this piece upon Christmas themes and texts, as evident by the title of the first part of the piece, "A Frosty Christmas Eve." The piece begins peacefully with the theme of "The First Noel," forming the underlying structure of the section which soon highlights the tenderness of the baritone, the voice of the poet. The second movement, "And lo, the angel and of the Lord," follows with the soprano as the solo voice representing the angel, but this time accompanied by a choir. This movement is essentially a motley of Finzi's compositional range, combining the graceful with the triumphant and even with some bits of drama here and there. It is not, however, indicative of the freneticness he was able to express in his last opus.

*Cello Concerto in A minor, op. 40*
One of his few large-scale works, Finzi's cello concerto is his last completed work which he composed knowing he was terminally ill with cancer. This piece, in my opinion, encompasses his compositional mastery at its peak, even though its consistency wavers ever so slightly. The first movement begins with a great ferocity that, despite not seeming characteristic of Finzi, is integrated well with the orchestra's building and falling dynamics throughout the movement, creating the first theme that the cello echoes soon after. Even though I wish Finzi could have developed upon that energy created by the introduction to create something even more meaningful, the first movement is a great showcase of the radiance of the cello and its interaction with the orchestra as the two exchange ideas until the movement closes with the same intensity. The second movement, however, is sublime in just about every aspect, especially with the simple yet heavenly opening theme which the movement expands upon to utterly spellbinding climaxes and modulations. I feel that this movement's sublimity and purity illustrate the zenith of Finzi's style and is a magnificent summation of his oeuvre. The third movement rounds out the work with a nice, jovial theme carried throughout. It does not quite carry the same degree of meticulous quality as the other two movements; nevertheless, it is further testament of his craftsmanship which brightly ends the final, great opus of his modest career.


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## violadude (May 2, 2011)

This is the first piece I've heard by Finzi and I liked it a lot.

Interlude for Oboe and String Quartet:


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## graziesignore (Mar 13, 2015)

I love Dies Natalis, but I'm possibly in a weird minority because my favorite recording is with the soprano Rebecca Evans. I'm not even sure how many soprano recordings of this exist, but, keeping in mind that this piece was never specifically written for tenor (just for "high voice"), maybe there should be more?









The very first recording of Dies Natalis featured a soprano and not a tenor.


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## elgar's ghost (Aug 8, 2010)

Finzi composed beautifully for both solo voice and choir but his few orchestral works are also of a high standard. I can't really say much more than to salute Trout's excellent post which is an illuminating overview of some of Finzi's output.


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## Becca (Feb 5, 2015)

Let me add _ Intimations of Immortality_ to that list. It is a setting for tenor, chorus & orchestra of most of Wordsworth's work of the same name.


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## 20centrfuge (Apr 13, 2007)

Trout said:


> *Romance for String Orchestra, op. 11*
> Get ready for a stunner, for sure. At only about 8 minutes, this piece contains everything great about Finzi and is one of my most treasured across all composers and eras. Like much of Finzi's oeuvre, there is hardly anything "new" or advanced being conveyed for the time period, but it is just extremely well done that it should nevertheless be noticed. From the amazing central theme to the yearning and gorgeous middle section led by a solo violin that builds and resolves back to its starting point, I only fear that I will hear this work too often such that it loses its magic.


I stumbled across this piece on our local classical radio station and I was hooked. Such wonderful music. I ran out and bought the CD and have had Finzi on my list of "composers to explore" for a while now. Thanks so much for this list. It will help me in my efforts.


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## science (Oct 14, 2010)

I heard the clarinet concerto years ago on a disk featuring David Campbell, and haven't returned to it.

But by coincidence, the last time I was in my favorite classical music store - Pungwoldang near Rodeo in Apgujeong for anyone who ever happens to find themselves in Seoul and in search of a find classical music store - one of the staff showed me a disk of Finzi's music on Helios (_Dies Natalis_ and _Intimations of Immortality_), guessing (as I am one of their best customers and they know me) that it would be the kind of thing I'd like. So I bough t it, but I haven't listened yet!

I will do so sooner rather than later, however!


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## manyene (Feb 7, 2015)

I have known both concertos for some time and find it difficult to choose which is my overall favourite. The Clarinet Concerto captures the sheer ebullience of the instrument, while the Cello Concerto, like so many others of this instrument (apart from the Dvorak and Elgar, I would mention the 1st Martinu and Rautavaara Concertos) expresses the nostalgia and wistfulness characteristic of the instrument. It is a great pity that this composer's life was cut short by illness just as he was producing his main masterpieces.


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## Kivimees (Feb 16, 2013)

As a big Finzi Fan, I recommend his Love's Labour's Lost on the Lyrita Label:


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## MagneticGhost (Apr 7, 2013)

Not much to add to what's gone before.
Intimations of Mortality is my favourite Finzi work out of those I have heard. Closely followed by his Cello Concerto which is certainly very near the level of the mighty Dvorak, Elgar and Shosty 1 tryptich.
My Intimations disc is from EMI with Hickox conducting and it is coupled with Grand Fantasia and Toccata which is very worthwhile listening too.










my copy of the Cello Concerto is NAXOS with the same Grand Fantasia and the Ecologue which someone has mentioned above.









So I'd describe both discs as essential and it's reminded me that I need to expand my Finzi collection.


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## Kivimees (Feb 16, 2013)

I'll add another work well worth listening to - Earth and Air and Rain:









After hearing this, I long to be walking down the streets of any small town in good old England again.


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## Rhinotop (Jul 8, 2016)

I'm going to explore this composer more. I've listened to the _Clarinet concerto_ and _Lo, the final, the sacrifice_ and I found them pleasant, especially the concerto.


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## satoru (May 29, 2014)

Five Bagatelles was the first piece I've heard. Since then, I'm collecting CDs. According to the official site, there are many more pieces never recorded (no CDs available for purchase, but only the sheet music). I'd love to see something like "The Complete Works of Gerald Finzi" CD set. I'll definitely buy it!

http://www.geraldfinzi.com/


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## Pugg (Aug 8, 2014)

Rhinotop said:


> I'm going to explore this composer more. I've listened to the _Clarinet concerto_ and _Lo, the final, the sacrifice_ and I found them pleasant, especially the concerto.


Very good choice.


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