William Boyce: Symphonies (1996)

Arte Nova usually turns out respectable budget albums that rarely cause buyer's remorse, but occasionally it produces a CD that isn't much of a bargain. In the case of this 2007 reissue of 1995 recordings by Ross Pople and the London Festival Orchestra, there is one major omission that is hard to ignore and one minor problem that may be overlooked. The Symphonies (8), Op. 2, of William Boyce easily fit on a single disc, and many excellent recordings that have them all are readily available, so there is no good reason for ... Read More

Arte Nova usually turns out respectable budget albums that rarely cause buyer's remorse, but occasionally it produces a CD that isn't much of a bargain. In the case of this 2007 reissue of 1995 recordings by Ross Pople and the London Festival Orchestra, there is one major omission that is hard to ignore and one minor problem that may be overlooked. The Symphonies (8), Op. 2, of William Boyce easily fit on a single disc, and many excellent recordings that have them all are readily available, so there is no good reason for the omission of the Symphony No. 5 in D major, which is absent from this collection and the original release. Listeners should also note that the Symphony No. 1 is mislabeled here as being in D minor, though it is in fact in B flat major and is not some unfamiliar symphony. These matters, annoying as they are, would not necessarily be deal breakers, were it not for the fact that the performances are merely acceptable and not particularly exciting or appealing. No attempt at period... Read Less