''So the Lord blessed the latter end of Job more than his beginning.'' Thus concludes the visionary Biblical allegory upon the destruction of pastoral quietude by the irrepressible forces of plague, pestilence, murder and sudden death; resolved in the restitution of Job's former wealth and humanity. Whether consciously or otherwise, Richard Hickox brings the outrage of catastrophe in the midst of plenty into sharper relief than his rivals, with playing of unstinting acuity from the Bournemouth Symphony Orchestra, who fare convincingly here alongside both the Philharmonia and the London Philharmonic.
Hickox retains an essential grasp of the choreographic and narrative aspects of the score, at such moments as the harmonically disorientated appearance of Satan in Scene 1, and the brazenly derisive ''Gloria in excelsis Deo'' parody which ends Scene 2; threateningly intoned by the Bournemouth brass. How graphic, too, is the whirlwind of destruction in Scene 3, and the malevolent ''Satan'' fanfare heralding the death of Job's children. Handley (EMI Eminence) is powerfully assertive here, as a wailing dissonance transforms the graceful minuet into a bitter funeral march, but his 1983 recording lacks the bite and amplitude accorded to Hickox and the Bournemouth SO. ''The Lord hath given, the Lord hath taken away—Blessed be the name of the Lord'' declares Job, as the tawdry, hypocritical, saxophone-led ''comforters'' appear, at first consolatory and sympathetic, but unleashing a torrent of anger and rebuke in the hands of Hickox and his players, with the organ of Westminster Cathedral (powerfully played by James O'Donnell) dubbed on to the Poole Arts Centre master tapes at a later date.
As the work veers more towards optimism and restitution, both James Clark, for Wordsworth (Collins), and David Nolan for Handley, find greater sensuality and beauty of expression in Elihu's dance, although Brendan O'Brien's solo violin contribution is certainly distinguished. Neither of the earlier readings approaches Hickox, however, in the sheer nobility which he brings to the following scene, as the Sons of the morning celebrate the banishment of Satan in a robust and stately Galliard. As a coupling, Hickox includes Gordon Jacob's version of the Variations for orchestra, but some collectors may find Wordsworth's inclusion of Holst's The Perfect Fool of greater interest.
To conclude, then, Hickox and the Bournemouth SO merit a very strong recommendation here, in a performance of unusual clarity and impetus, with the added benefits of a magnificently engineered recording.'