Bax: Symphony No. 2; November Woods. David Lloyd-Jones, Royal Scottish National Orchestra. Naxos 8.554093.

Bax: Symphony No. 2; November Woods. David Lloyd-Jones, Royal Scottish National Orchestra. Naxos 8.554093.

It's always surprised me that the music of Arnold Bax has never been more recorded. The material is certainly right for the high-fidelity medium. Take the Second Symphony, for instance. It is scored for a very large orchestra, it features a wide variety of instrumental colors, and it is big and dramatic in its content. It begins on an almost sinister note, builds to a huge, jagged climax, settles into a soft, somewhat melancholy mood, and then returns in the finale to the craggy heights of its beginnings, ending where it began in a gentle yet sinister mood. Such rugged individualism was something new for an English composer of the early 20th century, yet it is all set clearly within a late-Romantic framework. Audiences apparently loved it for a time, until his style went out of vogue in the mid century. But it isn't so much the Symphony here that counts as it is his tone poem, "November Woods," one of the best things he ever wrote (along with another of his tone poems, "Tintagel"). Even more so than the Second Symphony, "November Woods" is highly evocative, a kind of miniature adventure in the wild on the proverbial dark and stormy night.

Lloyd-Jones brings off both works successfully, especially the symphony, but unfortunately for him he has to compete with Sir Adrian Boult in the tone poem. Boult's "November Woods" on Lyrita is without peer; indeed, it is one of my 10 favorite recordings of all time, capturing the spirit of the forest at night with inimitable persuasion. Lloyd-Jones makes the woods dark and menacing. Boult makes them magical, as well. Besides which, the late-'60s Lyrita sound is superior to the newer digital effort. This is not to demean the Naxos, which is fine in its own right; but the Lyrita has greater transparency, more dynamic range, a wider stereo spread, and, most important, a better presentation of front-to-back imaging, or depth. One has to pay through the nose for the Lyrita reissue, however, about five times the cost of the Naxos disc. And therein may lie the difference. You actually can't go wrong with this Naxos release; the performances are first-rate, the sound is OK, and the price is right. It's just my bias showing for the older favorite.