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Gerald Finzi (1901-1956) is best known for his songs, particularly settings of poems by Thomas Hardy, certainly one of the bleakest of English writers. Earth and Air and Rain is a cycle of ten songs. "Waiting Both" ponders the meaning of existence in the form of a conversation between poet and a star. "When I Set out for Lyonesse" is a bit more positive, telling of the poet's meeting with his first wife. "Summer Schemes" looks forward to lazy, happy days but the joy is negated by the possibility of fate destroying the idyll. "The Clock of the Years" opens with spoken words and it tells of a deal with the "Spirit" to bring back the narrator's love. By the end, the poet wishes he had never spoiled the memory he had of her. The upbeat "Rollicum-Rorum" is a boisterous drinking song that startles the mood in mid-cycle. To a Poet is a six-song cycle with texts by different poets. "On Parent Knees" contrasts watching the smiling faces of people watching a baby cry while a man dying smiles as those around him weep. It's a remarkably potent minute and a half. The six-song Hardy cycle By Footpath and Stile is accompanied by string quartet (the first two are with piano), and they are the earliest-composed works on the CD; they are also the loveliest. Baritone Roderick Williams' impeccable diction and clear-as-a-bell baritone make each song special; Iain Burnside is the more-than-sympathetic pianist, and the Sacconi Quartet play handsomely. This is a very British, very fine recital--for fans, say, of Vaughan Williams. --Robert Levine