Audition: Bax - Symphony No. 3 RSNO/Lloyd Jones Naxos
Audition: Bax - Symphony No. 3 Royal Scottish National Orchestra/Lloyd Jones Released on the Naxos label in 1999 This Naxos disc is very well recorded, at the Henry Wood Hall in Glasgow. Lloyd Jones gets the basics right: natural balances, wonderful dynamics and beautiful clear, acoustic. It’s attractive and appealing as a reading despite the unfamiliarity of the work for many listeners. Bax’s orchestral output was prodigious and almost all of it noted for its atmosphere and drama. It has moments of natural power and beauty but also has a part for anvil. The symphony - premiered by Barbirolli and the Halle in 1944 - is compact and some formidable writing in classical form. As far as I can tell it has been recorded 11 times including the premier. It’s not exactly neglecting but it is a symphony that tends to slip under the radar. David Lloyd Jones gives the symphony a good deal of care, following it’s large scale plan and the inti...
