HERBERT HOWELLS - Piano Quartet / Fantasy String Quartet / Rhapsodic Quintet Lyrita (Stereo) SRCS.68 a ( NIMBUS ENGLAND ) pressing

HERBERT HOWELLS (b.1892) Lyrita SRCS 68 Stereo a ( NIMBUS ENGLAND) pressing. Piano Quartet in A minor Op.21 (1916) Richards Piano Quartet—Fantasy String Quartet Op. 25 Richards Ensemble (1917)—Rhapsodic Quintet for clarinet, two violins, viola and cello Op. 31 (1919) Richards Ensemble with Thea King- clarinet.

Herbert Howells is the last of the great English Romantics whose tongues were loosened by folksong. He was born in Gloucestershire in 1892 and what Marion M. Scott wrote of Ivor Gurney; ‘his education may be said to have begun with the beauty he saw about him, the lovely countryside, the hills, the Severn river” is equally true of Howells. For him, as for Holst, Finzi, Gurney and Vaughan Williams himself, the West of England country scene became a vital shaping force; we may easily feel that the colour and temper of all his finest creations have quietly determined by it.

Howells is a composer working within a conventional tradition whose genius is not for flamboyant disregard of the rules but for triumphant conformity within them; and in so doing he has caught something of the tang and resin of the English ambience. He has heightened our perception of the familiar things about us, reinforced our appreciation of those elements of tradition which remain impervious to time and chance and change. He is a composer who really matters, not as a revolutionary, but for the distinction of his mind and sensibility, and because the only people who really do matter are those who make our lives more beautiful.

I’m listing several of the Lyrita’s from my collection, please take note some of the higher prices reflect the much sought after on the inner record run out grooves “NIMBUS ENGLAND” LP pressings. The superior pressings, however was made by Nimbus. In fact, Nimbus-pressed Lyritas are the best of their catalogue, in both sound and surfaces. These in particularly are sought after by collectors and they can rival many Mercury and RCA Shaded Dog originals, along with the DECCA pressings. Nimbus spreads the grooves out more, but is careful not to bring them to close to the label. Inner groove distortion has always been a problem for vinyl; it is for example, the most consistent weakness of the great Mercury’s. Not taking any thing away from “Non-Nimbus” pressings for they are also superb pressings from the catalogue.

Of all the Independent classical music labels from the U.K. there’s one above all others that have a real mystique. Lyrita Recording Edition, the spiritual home of British Composers, released a hundred stereo LP's between 1966 and 1984. The relatively infrequent addition of performances to the catalogue can be directly linked to financial constraints- many of the records being sponsored by Private Companies, Charitable Music Trusts and eminent organizations like the Arts Council.

Experience Lyritas if you have not heard them before, British music, sympathetically interpreted and brilliantly played and recorded, and introducing you to new composers.

Condition; Vinyl is in NM (near mint) condition. Looks like new and plays beautifully. Jacket is in NM (near mint) condition. No flaws or blemishes. If you are paying by Pay Pal please add 3.5%. Thanks for looking.