Vaughan Williams's Veranda

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Extraordinary looking new release:
I'm always delighted and interested to hear Vaughan Williams's music performed by non-British orchestras.
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These are two of his greatest works I believe.

Yep, I bought this one earlier today, Jeffrey. Very much looking forward to hearing how Davis has matured with this music. It's been many years since he's recorded either work.

[vandermolen]

Yep, I bought this one earlier today, Jeffrey. Very much looking forward to hearing how Davis has matured with this music. It's been many of years since he's recording either work.

Me too John. The only other recording which couples these two fine works is his earlier one!

[Christo]

Extraordinary looking new release:
I'm always delighted and interested to hear Vaughan Williams's music performed by non-British orchestras.

Had Operation Wilfred been more successful, the Stiftelsen Musikkselskapet Harmonien might have created a Bergen Philharmonic playing a home match, instead of the present Bergen Filharmoniske Orkester doing it: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Norwegian_Campaign#Allied_plans 

[Oates]

Another new RVW release:




https://www.amazon.co.uk/Piano-Music-Ralph-Vaughan-Williams/dp/B01NALGLYL/ref=sr_1_8?s=music&ie=UTF8&qid=1484842921&sr=1-8&keywords=vaughan+williams

[vandermolen]

Another new RVW release:




https://www.amazon.co.uk/Piano-Music-Ralph-Vaughan-Williams/dp/B01NALGLYL/ref=sr_1_8?s=music&ie=UTF8&qid=1484842921&sr=1-8&keywords=vaughan+williams

Very interesting. The Lake in the Mountains is particularly good although some of the other material is piano transcriptions of orchestral music.

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Very interesting. The Lake in the Mountains is particularly good although some of the other material is piano transcriptions of orchestral music.

Yep, The Lake in the Mountains was one of his only solo piano works. I'm not particularly drawn to solo piano music, but I do find myself enjoying Debussy, Ravel, and Janacek a lot.

[calyptorhynchus]

Very interesting. The Lake in the Mountains is particularly good although some of the other material is piano transcriptions of orchestral music.

I have the old Trax Classics disk of VW piano music and I like the Lake in the Mountain a lot, also very good are the two choral preludes, one original on the theme of Gibbons, the other an adaption of one of Bach's with an extra line of counterpoint (written for some 15 fingered pianist or other, was it Myra Hess?)

[vandermolen]

Yep, The Lake in the Mountains was one of his only solo piano works. I'm not particularly drawn to solo piano music, but I do find myself enjoying Debussy, Ravel, and Janacek a lot.

Me too - I like the piano music of all those composers. I think that The Lake in the Mountains is adapted from a film/movie score.

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Cross-posted from the 'Purchases' thread:

Just bought:





I bought all of these from Dutton's website. I've been drooling over these for quite some time.

Also bought:

I'm really looking forward to hearing all of these as a good bit of these works will be completely new to me. Even though RVW is one of my faves, I'm still finding so much to treasure in his rather large and diverse oeuvre.

I should also look into his operas or at least give The Poisoned Kiss, Sir John in Love, and The Pilgrim's Progress another listen as it's been years since I've heard them.

[vandermolen]

Cross-posted from the 'Purchases' thread:

I'm really looking forward to hearing all of these as a good bit of these works will be completely new to me. Even though RVW is one of my faves, I'm still finding so much to treasure in his rather large and diverse oeuvre.

I should also look into his operas or at least give The Poisoned Kiss, Sir John in Love, and The Pilgrim's Progress another listen as it's been years since I've heard them.

Looks like a great RVW splurge!
You will enjoy much of this material if you don't already know it. The only disc I didn't like amongst that lot is 'Fat Night' which I found turgid. I especially like 'Dark Pastoral' and especially 'Heroic Elegy' - the VW Discoveries CD has some great material on it and I love the combination of the 1920 version of A London Symphony (my favourite version) and the Concerto for Two Pianos, which I prefer to the single piano version. The Dona Nobis Pacem Hickox CD is rightly a classic one. The early chamber music is a great set but I don't think much of 'The Sons of Light'.
Happy listening John! 

[calyptorhynchus]

Recently I listened to Sir John in Love and then Verdi's Falstaff, and no prizes for guessing which I thought the better opera!

[Karl Henning]

No prizes = no incentive



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Looks like a great RVW splurge!
You will enjoy much of this material if you don't already know it. The only disc I didn't like amongst that lot is 'Fat Night' which I found turgid. I especially like 'Dark Pastoral' and especially 'Heroic Elegy' - the VW Discoveries CD has some great material on it and I love the combination of the 1920 version of A London Symphony (my favourite version) and the Concerto for Two Pianos, which I prefer to the single piano version. The Dona Nobis Pacem Hickox CD is rightly a classic one. The early chamber music is a great set but I don't think much of 'The Sons of Light'.
Happy listening John! 

Indeed, Jeffrey. I'm looking forward to all of these.

[relm1]

Yep, I bought this one earlier today, Jeffrey. Very much looking forward to hearing how Davis has matured with this music. It's been many years since he's recorded either work.

Let us know what you think.  It's a bit pricey for me but the sound samples of Job sound fantastic but I hate the 9th being so quick in tempo during the last movement.  Previn/LSO is my favorite of this work and part of that is the pacing is so spot on plus the horns play as if their lives depended on it.  I love how movement 3 is such a crazy tempo but the very contrasting slow last movement really bookends the work to my ears.  I feel this music speaks more clearly when the pacing is Mahlerian in the final movement IMO.  It really helps the pathos come through and then a gradual increase in tempo to the ending until the coda which should be very slow.  Just my opinion.  I hate how Haitink ignores the dynamics of the score in favor of a softer feel.  I worry Andrew Davis falls into the safe category rather than the dramatic/intense school. 

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Let us know what you think.  It's a bit pricey for me but the sound samples of Job sound fantastic but I hate the 9th being so quick in tempo during the last movement.  Previn/LSO is my favorite of this work and part of that is the pacing is so spot on plus the horns play as if their lives depended on it.  I love how movement 3 is such a crazy tempo but the very contrasting slow last movement really bookends the work to my ears.  I feel this music speaks more clearly when the pacing is Mahlerian in the final movement IMO.  It really helps the pathos come through and then a gradual increase in tempo to the ending until the coda which should be very slow.  Just my opinion.  I hate how Haitink ignores the dynamics of the score in favor of a softer feel.  I worry Andrew Davis falls into the safe category rather than the dramatic/intense school.

Will do, relm1. Truth be told, I actually bought this new Davis recording for Job. One of my absolute favorite RVW works. I still haven't quite cracked the 9th, but I'll have to give Previn's performance a listen since you rate it so highly. Of all RVW's symphonies, the 1st, 7th, and 9th are the ones that I haven't spent much time with other than the occasional listen.

[Christo]

but I don't think much of 'The Sons of Light'.

...because this version is incomprehensibly weak compared to the one David Willcocks did for Lyrita:

[vandermolen]

...because this version is incomprehensibly weak compared to the one David Willcocks did for Lyrita:

That is true but I don't think that much of the work itself. I should get the Willcocks version - I have the LP only.

[relm1]

Will do, relm1. Truth be told, I actually bought this new Davis recording for Job. One of my absolute favorite RVW works. I still haven't quite cracked the 9th, but I'll have to give Previn's performance a listen since you rate it so highly. Of all RVW's symphonies, the 1st, 7th, and 9th are the ones that I haven't spent much time with other than the occasional listen.

I love every single one of his symphonies.  The 9th has some very beautiful moments but the range of expression is immense.  It made such an impression on me that I have this book about it. https://www.amazon.com/Vaughan-Williamss-Symphony-Structure-Interpretation/dp/0198162847

Structurally, it does remind me of Mahler's 9th with two chaotic scherzo's in the middle that are bookended with tense and grave large outer movements.  It is a questioning symphony full of bleakness that builds.  The last movement takes some of the themes from the first movement but extends them and develops them with more dramatic form.  I absolutely love the unexpected anguish of the coda as the symphony tries to land on E major.  For me, that rising trombone melody (at 12:26) is so full of pathos and devastatingly aching but there is brief catharsis in the final seconds.   Have we ever heard anything from RVW that is more anguished?  https://youtu.be/V9CK-ZVvoDE?t=712

But the E major is achieved in the final smashing chords as we recall music from RVW's early work "the Solent" and music dissolves into oblivion.  That E major resolution just seems like it came at such a great cost.  This is the end of a long journey of a great composer.

[vandermolen]

I love every single one of his symphonies.  The 9th has some very beautiful moments but the range of expression is immense.  It made such an impression on me that I have this book about it. https://www.amazon.com/Vaughan-Williamss-Symphony-Structure-Interpretation/dp/0198162847

Structurally, it does remind me of Mahler's 9th with two chaotic scherzo's in the middle that are bookended with tense and grave large outer movements.  It is a questioning symphony full of bleakness that builds.  The last movement takes some of the themes from the first movement but extends them and develops them with more dramatic form.  I absolutely love the unexpected anguish of the coda as the symphony tries to land on E major.  For me, that rising trombone melody (at 12:26) is so full of pathos and devastatingly aching but there is brief catharsis in the final seconds.   Have we ever heard anything from RVW that is more anguished?  https://youtu.be/V9CK-ZVvoDE?t=712

But the E major is achieved in the final smashing chords as we recall music from RVW's early work "the Solent" and music dissolves into oblivion.  That E major resolution just seems like it came at such a great cost.  This is the end of a long journey of a great composer.

Beautifully expressed.

[Christo]

I love every single one of his symphonies.  The 9th has some very beautiful moments but the range of expression is immense.  It made such an impression on me that I have this book about it. https://www.amazon.com/Vaughan-Williamss-Symphony-Structure-Interpretation/dp/0198162847

Structurally, it does remind me of Mahler's 9th with two chaotic scherzo's in the middle that are bookended with tense and grave large outer movements.  It is a questioning symphony full of bleakness that builds.  The last movement takes some of the themes from the first movement but extends them and develops them with more dramatic form.  I absolutely love the unexpected anguish of the coda as the symphony tries to land on E major.  For me, that rising trombone melody (at 12:26) is so full of pathos and devastatingly aching but there is brief catharsis in the final seconds.   Have we ever heard anything from RVW that is more anguished?  https://youtu.be/V9CK-ZVvoDE?t=712

But the E major is achieved in the final smashing chords as we recall music from RVW's early work "the Solent" and music dissolves into oblivion.  That E major resolution just seems like it came at such a great cost.  This is the end of a long journey of a great composer.

Share every observation and love the Ninth since I heard it (actually, I heard only the mysterious final chords on the Radio when I hurried home as a school boy and had become an RVW addict already, but with limited access to his music; acquired an LP with the Previn recording some years later). By far my favourite recording of these two middle movements, because they reveal all the anguish and resignation, is the one by Bryden Thomson. Am still waiting for a recording that convinces me in all four movements (find Thomson too 'hushed' in the opening movement). What is yours?