Two English Idylls - George Butterworth [With score]

Two English Idylls for orchestra (1910-1911) by George Butterworth. English Idyll N°I 0:00 English Idyll N° II 4:40 The description is by James Reel (AllMusic.com). Because George Butterworth sometimes referred to his two most popular orchestral pieces, The Banks of Green Willow and A Shropshire Lad, as "idylls" (the latter more formally as "rhapsody"), some people mistakenly assume these to be the works gathered under the title Two English Idylls. Actually, the Two English Idylls are quite separate and independent items, although, like The Banks of Green Willow, they are based on English folk songs. Both proceed at a measured pace, but the first opens with a jaunty oboe tune that eventually swells into an exuberant, lushly scored passage dominated by the strings. The oboe, with bassoon counterpoint, introduces a more lyrical and antique-sounding melody, with commentary from the flutes, other winds, and strings. The clarinet comes along with yet another good-natured tune, this one with a skip to its rhythm, and all of this material, including a passage resembling an Irish dance, passes through the orchestra in various combinations and guises before a quiet return to the opening melody. For this idyll, Butterworth has incorporated the folk songs "Dabbling in the Dew," "Just as the Tide Was Flowing," and "Henry Martin." The second idyll, again introduced by the oboe, begins with a very lyrical melody soon taken up by the strings. Darker, more hesitant material arises in the low strings and woodwinds, and the violins soon come to the fore with an impassioned central climax. Again, Butterworth gently works through the melodic material, taking full advantage of the woodwind colors and, near the end, solo violin. The piece ends quietly and the overall tone of this idyll, which is based on "Phoebe and the Dark-Eyed Sailor," is pastoral and wistfully nostalgic. Played by Hallé Orchestra, conducted by Sir Mark Elder. Original audio: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0hs1LEtI7xM Score: https://imslp.org/wiki/2_English_Idylls_(Butterworth%2C_George) -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- I DO NOT own the AUDIO neither the SCORE. I don't earn anything by doing this video and it has been done only for didactical purposes. Copyrights go to all the artists.