Gerald Finzi - The Fall of the Leaf - Elegy for Orchestra in D Minor - Op. 20

Yet another moving piece by Gerald Finzi - his singular stamp all over it. Finzi&musical language sets him apart: he has a distinctly individual voice amongst his contemporary English composers, his song-setting second to none. I didn&know this piece until recently, and I&very much the happier for that. At Finzi&death, less than half of it had been fully orchestrated. Howard Ferguson completed the orchestration. A pervasive sadness dominates this work written in the characteristic, sombre lyricism of the composer." (Hector Bellman, AllMusic). From Boosey & Hawkes: "Encouraged by Arthur Bliss, Finzi retained this final part of a projected chamber symphony, giving it a title borrowed from a dance in the Fitzwilliam Virginal Book by Martin Peerson (c.1600). The music remained the subject of continued scrutiny by the composer until a two-piano version was completed in the 1940s. Even then, the orchestration was left for completion by Howard Ferguson after Finzi’s death. Unashamedly elegiac in character, the piece is vivid in its contrasts, being majestic and particularly impressive at the summits of its musical contours.". I took these photos in various places in the Derbyshire Peak District, including Parwich, Alsop en le Dale, and Longstone Edge. The lone sycamore tree which appears a number of times is the largest of its species in Derbyshire. It tops the summit of Oker Hill and was planted a couple of hundred years ago by Will Shore as one of a pair to commemorate...