The Fall of the Leaf (Elegy)

Encouraged by Arthur Bliss, Finzi retained this final part of a projected chamber symphony, giving it a title borrowed from a dance in the Fitzwilliam Virginal Book. The music remained the subject of continued scrutiny by the composer until a two-piano version was completed in the 1940s. Even then, the orchestration was left for completion by Howard Ferguson after Finzi’s death. Unashamedly elegiac in character, the piece is vivid in its contrasts, being majestic and particularly impressive at the summits of its musical contours.