Made in Britain

Royal Liverpool PO/John Wilson Avie AV 2194***

John Wilson, best known to Irish audiences as the principal guest conductor of the RTÉ Concert Orchestra, is a man who knows how to make an orchestra sound good. He does so consistently on his new Made in Britaincollection of English music with the Royal Liverpool Philharmonic. But the glossy pomade has been achieved at some cost. His account of Walton's comedy overture, Scapino, lacks the snappiness and acidic sharpness of the composer's own version, recorded 60 years ago. The shades of giddiness in Bax's The Happy Forestare altogether too soberly balanced. And so it goes. Everything here – the disc also includes pieces by Butterworth, Delius, Elgar, Vaughan Williams and Edward German – is beautiful and neat and tidy. And gorgeous- sounding. The effect is impressive in its own lush way. But in the end there's rather too much sugar in the mix. See url.ie/55bd