Fine examples of postwar British symphonism at its strong-willed, stout-hearted best, the 13 symphonies of Welsh composer Daniel Jones are lightly represented on disc. Aside from this coupling of the Fourth, Seventh, and Eighth, there was only one other disc of the works available in 2007, a coupling of the Sixth and Ninth. Both discs are from Lyrita and feature Charles Groves leading the Royal Philharmonic and Bryden Thomson leading the BBC Welsh Symphony Orchestra. Both are more than acceptable, though this disc may have a slight lead in that it contains one more symphony. The three-movement Fourth from 1954 is dedicated to the memory of Dylan Thomas, the composer's close friend, and closes with an Adagio of great emotional depth. Both the Seventh and Eighth are from 1972, both are in five movements, and both give prominence to xylophone, marimba, and piano. Otherwise, both are quite distinct, the Seventh more objective and formal, the Eighth more subjective and insistent. In every case, the performances are well-played and committed. For the Fourth and the Seventh, the capable Groves has the better orchestra with the Royal Philharmonic, but for the Eighth, the more charismatic Thomson has the more idiomatic orchestra with the BBC Welsh Symphony. Arguably in the same league as Alwyn and Arnold, probably not in the same league as Rubbra and Tippett, perhaps a league above Rawsthorne and Scott, and certainly not in the same league as Walton or Vaughan Williams, Jones is well worth hearing by anyone deeply interested in postwar British symphonism. Whether recorded in London for the Royal Philharmonic or Llandaff for the BBC Wales, Lyrita's sound is unfailingly clean, warm, and colorful. ~ James Leonard, Rovi
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