Even during their earliest days in the late 1920s Decca promoted small orchestras and baroque music. There was a Handel concerto grosso series conducted by Ernest Ansermet, for instance, and the Company signed the new Boyd Neel String Orchestra soon after they had given their first public performance in 1933. Although the 17-strong ensemble brought a good deal of very unfamiliar early repertoire to the notice of London's concert-goers, Boyd Neel had a catholic taste and conducted Tchaikovsky and Stravinsky in addition to Pergolesi and Vivaldi.
The orchestra were engaged to play at the 1937 Salzburg Festival and were asked to present a new work. With little time to spare Neel approached Britten, who produced the Bridge Variations within the space of ten days. The work was an immediate success and was recorded a year later (in fact, the orchestra made two later recordings of the piece before Neel's departure to Canada in 1953). The 1938 performance reproduced here is very strongly characterized. Nothing could show to greater effect the brilliance and versatility of Neel's players, or his own imagination and flair as a conductor. The lesser demands of the Simple Symphony are met in a direct, uncomplicated fashion, and Neel doesn't patronize or sentimentalize the piece as some conductors have done.
Frederick Grinke was a fine player with a particular insight into British music. He and the orchestra give a lively but also very beautiful performance of the Concerto accademico. In the Tallis Fantasia Vaughan Williams himself was at the recording sessions. Maybe it was his influence which caused Neel to give a strong, clear-cut and purposeful account of the work, but one which also possesses an abundance of warmth and feeling. It's strange how often VW attended recording sessions, yet was not asked to conduct. Even Walter Legge, no lover of his music, suggested that the composer should record his Tallis Fantasia. However, his idea fell on deaf ears.
Just occasionally there is the impression of a slightly muffled quality in the sound, but in general the transfers are very good.'