The Brahms dances offer extravagant rubato, blistering playing, and amazingly dynamic sound for 1929. The “New World” from 1927 suffers most from the noise reduction (almost complete, courtesy of Simon Haram) and some of the quieter sections sound digitally peculiar, notably the opening, and parts of the Largo. The rest is fine, and has considerable impact and warmth as sound, but if you like to hear every sonic nuance of the deep fat fryer as you eat, this is not the disc for you. Leslie Heward’s contribution is from the year of Harty’s death, and in context the string Nocturne makes for a sad, touching, rather Elgarian tribute, with the world back at war and life changed utterly again. Two years later, the modest but highly talented Heward would pass, too, before being able to lead the Hallé into post-war pastures new.

I loved this CD, and suggest you order it, and bring a forgotten, more clearly human world to vibrant life in your living room. Measure is short (why, with no copyright issues?) but musically, the disc is sensational. More please, Hallé. Much more.

Paul Ingram, FANFARE