Bax: Nonet / Oboe Quintet / Elegiac Trio / Clarinet Sonata / Harp Quintet
This is a very generous collection of the chamber works of Arnold Bax (1883-1953), one of the 20th century favorites of Anglophile music lovers. If you like Bax's late-impressionist style, it's a very attractive collection indeed. The performances are all extremely well played, and the musicians sound as though they had been playing these pieces for years instead of having learned them for a recording session. Hyperion's recording is typically vivid as well. In sum, presuming the music appeals, this is a flawless disc.--Leslie Gerber