“John Wilson finesses a minor composer with a major voice… Chandos’ sound and the Sinfonia’s discipline win the day.” ****½

“…a hugely welcome issue of most on John Ireland’s works for orchestra, from a conductor and orchestra who can seemingly do little wrong…”

“…There are some wonderful things here. Take A Downland Suite … Wilson’s players give the “Prelude” just enough bite, and the “Elegy” plumbs incredible depths in four and a half minutes … The brighter, breezier passages [A London Overture]are marvellously done here, though Wilson really excels in the work’s spookier corners. The opening is as sinister as it is witty, and there’s an exquisite horn solo eight minutes in. Think of it as a darker sequel to Elgar’s Cockaigne…”

Performance ****½       Sonics (Multichannel) *****

“… In all respects this is a most welcome addition to the catalogue and makes one eager for the next release from this winning combination of outstanding musicians.”

“… this is an album not to be missed.”

“… this finely recorded and consistently well-played disc can be recommended …”

“…a good addition to the Ireland discography especially for the excellent versions of The Downland Suite and The Forgotten Rite. The quality of the music-making is matched by the predictable excellence of the Chandos engineering and packaging right down to the evocative Whistler painting used for booklet…”

“… It’s all lovely music, superbly played with plenty of poetry and fire.” ****