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Releases showcasing record producers and entrepreneurs are few and far between, but here is one: a celebration of the record executive and producer John Boyden (1936–2021). If his name is unfamiliar, the record label Classics for Pleasure (CfP) will not be. Boyden cofounded it with philanthropist Paul Hamlyn as a sub-label of Music for Pleasure, and it enjoyed extraordinary success in the LP era (I am proud to say I owned the LP of the Schubert Die schöne Müllerin here as a boy). Boyden was also the first Managing Director of the London Symphony Orchestra and revived the New Queen’s Hall Orchestra (NQHO), four of whose string players perform here.

Like the Müllerin, the John Lill Beethoven performance was also a previous release, in that instance on the Enigma label. Not so the “Trout” Quintet, a fresh arrival here, but it is a cause for great joy that it appears here now. Jonathan Higgins is the excellent pianist; he was principal pianist of Birmingham’s Royal Ballet for over a quarter of a century. Vera Pereiro, the double-bassist, was a principal at that ballet company too. They are joined by Robert Gibbs, violin; Daisy Spiers, viola; and Bozidar Vukotic, cello. This is, simply, a performance of sunshine. The spirit of chamber music shines out, both in dialogs and in a communal delight in Schubert’s writing. Higgins’s fingerwork is superb, accurate and perfectly placed. The performance is never rushed, and celebrates unexpected harmonic shifts. The second movement is on a similar level: Schubert’s waves are only slightly ruffled, but most of all it is notable for channeling the spirit of pure song. The Lied underpins this; while whirling dervishes surely come out to play in the Scherzo, taken (as Schubert indicates) at presto, not allegro, detail is never compromised. The players’ accuracy is supported by the fine recording; the bass is firm and focused, but not overpowering and with no unnecessary bloom. The famous theme and variations is as fresh as the day Schubert composed it, with the Andantino theme given tenderly, as if the players cradled a baby, not a melody. Higgins’ own statement of the theme sounds almost improvised, while Gibbs’s high violin decorations surely are given with tongue in cheek. Schubert’s variations contain huge emotional range, and so does this performance. It is the sudden veering into interior worlds that is so impressive. Even Pereiro’s double bass sounds light, a vital part of the equation. The finale scampers beautifully. While everybody’s favorite “Trout” seems to be the Gilels/Amadeus recording, this performance has an outdoorsy freshness that is infectious and arguably gets closerto the very heart of the work. The exact date of the present “Trout” is 2002. It should be made clear that the link to Boyden in this instance is that this is “his” NQHO; the actual producer of this “Trout” is Tony Faulkner.

The pianist John Lill was a regular guest with the Hallé Orchestra in the 1970s and 1980s, usually with James Loughran at the helm. Hearing him in his trademark Beethoven and Brahms repeatedly, the impression was of a pianist who had infinite technique but who could be a little rough with the music. The technical excellence is no surprise, given that Lill won the 1970 Tchaikovsky Competition in Moscow. But there is more sensitivity in this “Waldstein” than I remember in his Beethoven concerto performances. This Beethoven Sonata was issued on Enigma K53520 and recorded in 2002–03. There are moments that veer towards the clangorous in the first movement, it is true, but it is easy to forgive those in light of Lill’s major achievement, mastery of pulse and rhythm. There are real moments of insight: Is that rapid descent into the return of the first theme meant to sound almost like a glissando, a precursor of the notorious finale? Lill manages not to make the first movement coda sound like a mad dash to the finish line before embarking on the slip of mystery that precedes the finale. The first theme steals in as it should, but what marks this reading out is the sustained beauty: Lill’s touch is crystalline and beautiful, but his left hand keeps the momentum so the music does not sound self- indulgent. It is true that Lill’s left hand can appear on the rough side at times, but this is a “Waldstein” that should, indeed must, be heard, not least for the excellence and evenness of his right hand. Those glissandos are articulated like rapid scales, and yet lose no effectiveness thanks to Lill’s variety of touch.

Expectations for reviewers are prickly things. After my teenage experiences of Lill, though, it was perhaps not unreasonable to expect something rougher than what is captured here. My memories of the Schubert Müllerin, however, were not only confirmed, but enhanced. Issued originally on a single LP disc in 1973 (CfP 40043), it was in a coupling with Schumann Dichterliebe (CfP 4436) that this performance joined my ever-growing collection. Coming back to a beloved recording is one thing record collectors live for. Ian and Jennifer Partridge’s Müllerin is one of the finest performances of that piece, characterized by its freshness. Ian Partridge’s voice is infinitely flexible, and Jennifer Partridge’s low-pedal approach and baseline legato enable Schubert’s piano part to radiate transparency. Perhaps “Am Feierabend” is an excellent demonstration of this, or “Mein!”, where she manages perfect elucidation in tandem with a feeling of breathless elation, preparing the way of the singer’s declarations of success in love. Together, the whole breathes youthful exuberance and impetuosity, and yet Ian Partridge brings to this a tenderness that is heart-stopping (just try “Morgengruss”). Ian Partridge’s tenor is remarkably sweet-toned in its higher reaches; his tuning never wavers. He has the agility, too (listen to the leaps in “Mein!”). When themusic thins, as in “Die liebe Farbe,” the effect is crippling because the performers present it so starkly, with Ian Partridge trimming his vibrato to almost nothing—a blanched, almost harrowing sound. The weight of the world is here, as in the final “Des Baches Wiegenlied,” with the piano’s hypnotic rockings underpinning the protagonist’s woe. This is a truly remarkable performance, as is the recording and transfer. There are more famous Müllerins, for sure, but few if any surpass this one in penetrating to the heart of Schubert’s cycle while maintaining a feeling of youthful love, its promises of eternity and its cruel disappointments. Everything here is believable, including the protagonist’s desolation.

Divine Art’s release is so full of revelations and Rückblick. But for those coming to these recordings for the first time, surely no one could possibly be disappointed. The overall quality remains a testament to John Boyden’s legacy. A final quip: I had no idea that Boyden was the UK publication Private Eye’s original “Lunchtime O’Boulez” (a liquid pseudonym, so the column continues to this day). The Schubert “Trout,” a new recording in HD, will be issued as a stand-alone digital High-Def single in August 2024.

This disc remains dedicated to “H. M. The Queen,” who was patron of the New Queen’s Hall Orchestra. Divine Art offers one of the most interesting, carefully thought through re-releases of recent times.