GERALD FINZI

‘Undeservedly undervalued’ – that would be the right introduction of Gerald Finzi, the 20th-century English composer. He was not lucky to earn as great recognition as his compatriots R. Vaughan Williams, G. Holst or W. Walton. Although Finzi’s creative legacy is not abundant, much beauty and elegance can be discovered in his music, which sounds distinctly English, despite his Italian, German and Jewish roots. At just eight, Finzi lost his father and, as a teenager, all three of his brothers; also suffered tremendously due to the death of his first music teacher, Ernest Farrar. These painful experiences lent gloomy and sad colour to most of Finzi’s music. His lyrical style was further bolstered up by life in Wiltshire, a remote natural haven, away from the hustle and bustle of the city. The love for the English village is projected in his Romance for Strings in E flat major. Finzi started working on this opus in 1928, but completed it only in 1951. It is a short, plaintive and moving piece.

The fragile and melancholic composition is performed by the Lithuanian Chamber Orchestra, conducted by Australian baton master Nicholas Milton.