In a world with too few recordings of the gentle music of George Butterworth, it seems a shame to write that this is the only Butterworth disc anyone will ever need. But it is in fact so: Butterworth died in the Great War at the age of 30 and didn't have the chance to compose enough mature music behind to fill much more than a disc. Most of Butterworth's best music is on this disc: the six marvelous songs from A Shropshire Lad, the five exquisite songs from Bredon Hill and Other Songs, the glorious orchestral tone poem A Shropshire Lad, the delectable English Idylls (2), and the magnificent The Banks of Green Willow. The performances on this disc are not only arguably the best ever made, they are likely to stand as the best ever made.
Benjamin Luxon's tone is sometimes a wee bit wobbly, but his heart is pure and his dedication is total. And
Neville Mariner and the
Academy of St. Martin-in-the-Fields' interpretations may be a wee bit twee, but their elegant intonation, graceful tempos, and wholehearted interpretations are still completely compelling. Decca's mid-'70s stereo recordings were brilliant and warm in their day, and they only sound clearer in this digital remastering. The one Butterworth disc to have if you're having only one.