Sinfonia of London/Wilson/Kilsby/Parkes(Chandos)The Sinfonia and John Wilson bring warmth and sparkle to works by Ireland, Walton and Goosens; rising star tenor Laurence Kilsby and Christopher Parkes are expressive soloists in the Britten SerenadeThis is John Wilson and the Sinfonia of London’s third album exploring British music for strings and, like its predecessors, showcases lesser-known repertoire alongside an acknowledged masterpiece. In this case, the byways include music by Ireland, Walton and Goossens with Britten’s Serenade for Tenor, Horn and Strings as centrepiece.Written with the country on the brink of war, Ireland’s Concertino Pastorale comes with a baked-in nostalgia for an imagined rural idyll. Wilson gets to the troubled heart of the matter with a brooding Eclogue and poignant Threnody before finding release in the upbeat Toccata. The Sinfonia of London string sound displays a tremendous warmth in Chandos’ spacious recording, especially evident in Goossens’ lyrical nature poem, By the Tarn. Continue reading...