Richard R. Adams commented extensively on the Bax Symphonies.

His needs no endorsement from me, but I liked it so much (probably because
I agreed with just about all of it!), that I can't help but add the
following comments.

I'm not quite as enthusiastic about Lloyd-Jones, but that is a difference
of a small degree.  I sympathize with your problems with Chandos sound.
Generally, I think Chandos's sound often can be so blown up that it
becomes grey.  I had a real problem with their recordings of the Dohnanyi
symphonies, especially, and said so in my ARG reviews of them.  I do think
that Chandos sound can be system dependent.  My system tolerates them
reasonably well.  Some sound very good, some not so good.  The Bax I find
kind of in the middle, but I can imagine them sounding worse (or better) on
other systems.

>Symphony #3 -- Dutton Labs will soon be reissuing Sir John Barbirolli's
>1943 recording of this beautiful symphony.

I'm glad to hear this.  When in my post I said that the L-J was the first
really fine recording of this symphony, I meant in stereo.  Of course, Sir
John's is the best.  Dutton does a great job with these recordings, as I'm
sure you know.  IF you are an Elgarian and have not heard them, check out
his reissue of Barbirolli's first stereo Symphony 1 and another of Malcolm
Sargent's First Enigma Variations from 1946 or 47.  Both are wonderful
performances.

>Symphony #6 -- Avoid Douglas Bostock's version on Classico because his
>orchestra is hopelessly overtaxed
>by Bax's virtuoso scoring.

Absolutely.  I reviewed this and was very disappointed.  But if it has
put you off this series (and I have no idea if it has), I have liked some
of the other issues.  The ARnold 5 is very nice, as is the Ruth Gipps
symphony.  So is that disc of "unknown" Elgar.  The Bax 6 may have been
made on a "bad day" but then the Bax 6 is a very difficult work to play
and conduct, isn't it.

>Symphony #7 -- I think this is the most underrated of Bax's symphonies.

Absolutely! Finally, someone else who thinks so. I love this piece.

Roger Hecht