Dies natalis Op 8
Intimations of Immortality Op 29

This album brings together two of Finzi’s most characteristic works. Dies natalis, a setting of prose and verse by the seventeenth-century metaphysical poet Thomas Traherne, is a piece of sublime concord and timelessness, music which vividly suggests the vision of a child’s innocence and unsullied perception of the world which lies at the heart of Traherne’s philosophy. Intimations of Immortality is by contrast a lament for the lost joys of Traherne’s idealized childhood. Finzi uses Wordsworth’s famous ode to convey his view that ‘a dead poet lives in many a live stockbroker’ and the result is a work of arresting beauty.

‘Rich, glowing performances in a class apart’ (BBC Music Magazine)

‘There have been several excellent previous recordings of Dies natalis but John Mark Ainsley’s rendition is as fine as the best of them. This recent release is indispensable to the Finzi aficionado and highly recommended to all who enjoy the early twentieth-century English school of composers’ (Fanfare, USA)

‘I shall treasure this recording’ (Organists’ Review) ‘The performance by tenor John Mark Ainsley and Corydon Singers weds the ecstatic to the sublime’ (The New Yorker, USA) ‘With such ardent, beautiful singing that communicates deep respect for the music, it’s a performance to treasure … a ravishingly poignant release’ (Soundscapes, Australia)

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Dawniej CDA 66876 ZankUkośnika Recording details: February 1996; All Hallows, Gospel Oak, London, United Kingdom