Idylls and Elegies – Music by John Jeffreys

“

This CD… did wonders for my mental health. Jeffreys’s music calmed me and made me feel that I was in good hands. Anguished thought and feelings are applied with a delicate brush and lose none of their impact for being invoked with reticence and taste. Toby’s Dreams and Elegy {are] dignified yet sometimes wry little gems. Jeffreys might not be the most daring composer on the block but there is no doubting his sincerity and his appeal. I pity any musician so jaded that he or she would be unwilling to reciprocate.

” —Raymond S. Tuttle

“

Mournful, evocative music, definitely stemming from the heart but devoid of any saccharine sentimentality. Traditional, tonal, solid old-school writing. The instrumentation is keen; Elegy for John Fry… could stand head-to-head with works in the genre by Elgar and Vaughan Williams. The recording has lot of body and creates a natural perspective and sense of open space.

” —Jean-Yves Duperron

“

An instinctive fondness for melodic lines and rich contemplative gestures…unmistakable overtones of Delius and Frank Bridge. [Elegy for John Fry] is a warm and peaceful tribute…Poem for End.. is a substantial work, beautifully paced and scored. Gentle passions and distinctive craftsmanship.

” —Patric Standford

“

[Starts] with a recording of Jeffreys’s delightful Serenade for Strings, lively if all too brief. Jeffreys’s response [ to the Gurney words of Poem for End], as for the rest, is most sensitive, as it is even for his bold setting of the Lyke Wake Dirge. Excellent baritone, Jonathan Veira, firm and dark in tone. A very varied collection offered in clear, well-balanced sound.

” —Edward Greenfield

“

[Jeffreys’][Partridge disc was highly enjoyable but in some ways this latest one scores higher because it presents music in more than one genre by this interesting composer. [Serenade] is a lovely little piece… This disc continues and expands the favourable impression made on me [by the previous one]. John Jeffreys is a sincere composer with something to say – and that something is worth hearing, This disc offers an excellent introduction to his music.

” —John Quinn

“

Under-rated composer John Jeffreys’ orchestral pieces are very much songs without words. The stand-out work is Poem for End.

” —Peter Palmer