Probably no other country turned out such a bountiful crop of minor masters as England in the first decades of the 20th century. E.J. Moeran was one of the best: his work is finely crafted, melodically appealing, colorful, and effectively structured, and this is the disc to own if you only have room in your collection for one sample of his output. The Symphony in G minor in particular stands with the finest works of the period. Yes, the music is derivative: of Vaughan Williams, Sibelius, and even Tchaikovsky (the start of the first movement's development section), but that doesn't matter. It's a terrific listen, and on balance Boult's is the finest performance of the work.

It has in abundance the qualities for which this conductor was rightly acclaimed: an effortless feeling of movement, ideal clarity of texture, firm rhythms, and all of this with none of the ensemble sloppiness that sometimes intruded on his interpretations. The performance also features Lyrita sonics that remain a touchstone to this day in terms of naturalness and impact. With by no means negligible couplings consisting of equally successful versions of the Sinfonietta (a substantial piece with a particularly imaginative central variation movement) and the Overture for a Masque, this disc is a classic any way you look at it.

--David Hurwitz, ClassicsToday.com