Vaughan Williams's Veranda

[karlhenning]

Fascinating, and since it largely reflects my own thinking/experience, naturally I think Michael Kennedy has a pertinent insight here. From his notes to the Haitink/RVW box:

During the first 35 years of [Vaughan Williams's] life the leading symphonists in British music were Stanford and Parry, both of whom were his teachers, but it would be a bold critic who could detect their influence on their pupil when it comes to orchestral music.  We can, however, detect a general influence of Elgar on the composer of A Sea Symphony (1903-09) and A London Symphony (1910-13), particularly from The Dream of Gerontius (1900) rather than from the two symphonies of 1908 and 1911.

[karlhenning]

Stanford's and Parry's influence upon their pupil is probably more obvious in his Anglical liturgical music, not that this does not also have Vaughan Williams's own personality stamped upon it.

[not edward]

I don't know RVW's Mass, and would welcome comments and recording recommendations.

[Lethevich]

I don't know RVW's Mass, and would welcome comments and recording recommendations.

It's a major work IMO, although pretty British in its functionality and less than epic scope. My favourite recording is the recent Hyperion disc coupled with Bingham's mass (a nice discovery in itself). The Naxos disc is good too, but IIRC the sound quality was a bit weird.

[karlhenning]

Hmm . . . something had me hesitating over that Naxos title.  I don't have a recording of the Mass, either.  I think it would be a stretch to consider it a major work, save perhaps within Vaughan Williams's Liturgical music bucket (it is certainly more substantial than the many hymns and anthems with which he has graced the Anglican tradition). In a way characteristic of practically everything else he wrote for use in church, all the choristers I know who have sung it, report loving it.

Which could be another reason I am not rushing for a recording;  I wonder if it may be a piece to which I respond better as a participant than as a passive listener.

[Lethevich]

I think it would be a stretch to consider it a major work, save perhaps within Vaughan Williams's Liturgical music bucket (it is certainly more substantial than the many hymns and anthems with which he has graced the Anglican tradition). In a way characteristic of practically everything else he wrote for use in church, all the choristers I know who have sung it, report loving it.

Which could be another reason I am not rushing for a recording;  I wonder if it may be a piece to which I respond better as a participant than as a passive listener.

Oops, I definitely meant definitely major in his sacred choral output. That and the Te Deum seem to be the most well-known (the latter is much more often recorded). The Hyperion disc has both, along with several other pieces. The TT is over 79 mins, so it's good value for money, even if the mass isn't a favourite (it only lasts 23 mins of that duration).

[vandermolen]

The new Naxos recording of Hodie is excellent. The work seems to hang together much more than in the two earlier recording and the recording is streets ahead, especially in relation to the organ contribution. The soloists are all excellent:

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Vaughan-Williams-Fantasia-Christmas-Carols/dp/B000WPJ6EO/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=music&qid=1196286125&sr=1-1

[Dundonnell]

I understand that Tony Palmer's film about RVW "O Thou Transcendent" will be screened on Channel 5(British TV) on New Year's Day at 12 noon, that it will have received its screen premiere at the Barbican in London on 5th December and that the DVD is now out on Isolde Films(yesterday's Independent newspaper).

Amazon is not yet advertising the DVD. Anyone got any other news?

[Lethevich]

I understand that Tony Palmer's film about RVW "O Thou Transcendent" will be screened on Channel 5(British TV) on New Year's Day at 12 noon, that it will have received its screen premiere at the Barbican in London on 5th December and that the DVD is now out on Isolde Films(yesterday's Independent newspaper).

Amazon is not yet advertising the DVD. Anyone got any other news?

Damnit, I get abysmal reception for C5

[vandermolen]

I understand that Tony Palmer's film about RVW "O Thou Transcendent" will be screened on Channel 5(British TV) on New Year's Day at 12 noon, that it will have received its screen premiere at the Barbican in London on 5th December and that the DVD is now out on Isolde Films(yesterday's Independent newspaper).

Amazon is not yet advertising the DVD. Anyone got any other news?

I ordered it for £10 via the RVW Society (there was a flyer in their last Journal).

[vandermolen]

I understand that Tony Palmer's film about RVW "O Thou Transcendent" will be screened on Channel 5(British TV) on New Year's Day at 12 noon, that it will have received its screen premiere at the Barbican in London on 5th December and that the DVD is now out on Isolde Films(yesterday's Independent newspaper).

Amazon is not yet advertising the DVD. Anyone got any other news?

I have just watched the DVD of "O Thou Transcendent" The Life of Ralph Vaughan Williams over the last couple of days (it lasts over two and a half hours).

It is a beautifully made film and we are not likely to see a better documentary about this composer.  It is difficult to know where to start as it contains so much material but here are some thoughts anyway:

The film starts with some archive film of the great man at a rehearsal (and the same clip returns at the end). Although I have followed the works of Vaughan Williams for 35 years, I have never seen any film of him! There are also some recordings of VW speaking and an actor delivering his autobiographical observations (such as Stanfords remark "All rot my boy" when VW showed him a youthful string quartet that he had agonized over!

The first part of the film contained beautifully filmed (but predictable) sequences, for example, of the English coastline and countryside juxtaposed with (quite lengthy) extracts from "A Sea Symphony", Gloucester Cathedral and the Tallis Fantasia, Nicola Benedetti and The Lark Ascending etc. This reminded me of the approach of Ken Russell in his uncontroversial TV documentary  many years ago. The extracts from symphonies 4,7 and 9 performed by The National Orchestra of Hungarian Radio conducted by Tamas Vasary are outstanding and I hope that they record a cycle one day.

Sian Edwards with the National Youth Orchestra give impassioned performances of lengthy extracts from Job, A London Symphony etc.  There is some wonderful archive film of Boult conducting Symphony 5 and archive interviews with many people, including Imogen Holst, Michael Tippet, (whose early antipathy towards the music of Vaughan Williams was transformed into great admiration and friendship later on). Modern interviews feature Michael Kennedy, Andre Previn, John Adams, Mark Anthony Turnage and Harrison Birthwistle ( whose boyhood visit to Vaughan Williams's house in Dorking is recounted). More surprisingly perhaps, Neil Tennant of the "Pet Shop Boys" and Richard Thompson of "Fairport Convention" discuss their admiration for Vaughan Williams. John adams apparently decided that he wanted to become a composer rather than an engineer after attending his first classical concert in Boston, which opened with the Tallis Fantasia (hearing the Fantasia on Greensleeves was the "Road to Damascus" for Neil Tennant).

I thought that the documentary really came into its own in the second half, with discussions, for example, of Vaughan Williams's attitude to religion (from Rowan Williams, the Archbishop of Canterbury, amongst others) and, in particular the sections which deal with Vaughan Williams's 50+years marriage to Adeline and later friendship, relationship and marriage to Ursula Wood, following Adeline's death). Michael Kennedy and Jerrold Northrop Moore have some very interesting observations and revelations here.  This is not simply idle gossip, but directly related to works like the 4th and 5th symphonies.

There is a long sequence of music and movie extracts from "Scott of the Antarctic" and interviews with Jill Balcon, Evelyn Barbirolli, Roy Douglas, Kiffer Finzi etc etc. I was not sure, however, that the sequence juxtaposing parts of the Sixth Symphony with graphic images of modern warfare,horrific images of famine worked. It seemed a bit contrived to me, but others might think differently.

Stephen Johnson's suggestion that the two repeating chords at the end of the Epilogue of the Sixth Symphony were like an "Amen" which finds no resolution, I thought fascinationg and absolutely convincing.

The late Ursula Vaughan Williams's recent appearance and words about Ralph at the end of the documentary, I found extremely moving...a beautiful end to a great documentary about this wonderful composer. If you like his music, you must see it.

[Thom]

Thank you very much for this review Jeffrey. I already had decided to buy this DVD, now even more so. Unfortunately it still is not for sale at Amazon yet but I saw that it is possible to buy directly through Palmer's website. Anyone familiar with that option?

[vandermolen]

Thank you very much for this review Jeffrey. I already had decided to buy this DVD, now even more so. Unfortunately it still is not for sale at Amazon yet but I saw that it is possible to buy directly through Palmer's website. Anyone familiar with that option?

My pleasure Thom.

The following may be of interest too:

http://www.rvwsociety.com/i-frame/tonypalmer.htm

Jeffrey

[Thom]

I thank you again, Jeffrey. An interesting read.

Thom

[Dundonnell]

vandermolen's comprehensive review certainly whets my appetite for watching the film!! Not sure whether to wait until New Year's Day and tape the programme or buy the DVD! Hmm, might do both!

Just one question....the advance publicity said that Gergiev's Mariinsky Orchestra was performing extracts from the symphonies and that was an enticing prospect but vandermolen's review mentions a Hungarian orchestra. No Gergiev?

[karlhenning]

Many thanks, Jeffrey; that's a must-see!

[vandermolen]

Dundonnell, Thom, Karl, I'm sure you will enjoy the documentary. I found an excellent summary below:

http://arts.independent.co.uk/music/features/article3202040.ece

I gather that the BBC will show their own documentary sometime in 2008; the 50th anniversary of the composer's death.

[Dundonnell]

Reading the publicity blurb for the RVW film I notice that it says that extracts from the symphonies are played by "Gergiev's Mariinsky Orchestra". It doesn't say that the orchestra is actually conducted by Gergiev himself.

However, vandermolen did say that the orchestra was from the Hungarian State Radio conducted by Vaszary.

SO...no Mariinsky?? I would have loved to hear a good Russian orchestra playing VW!!

Answer please!!

[vandermolen]

Reading the publicity blurb for the RVW film I notice that it says that extracts from the symphonies are played by "Gergiev's Mariinsky Orchestra". It doesn't say that the orchestra is actually conducted by Gergiev himself.

However, vandermolen did say that the orchestra was from the Hungarian State Radio conducted by Vaszary.

SO...no Mariinsky?? I would have loved to hear a good Russian orchestra playing VW!!

Answer please!!

Back of the DVD box only mentions The National Orchestra of Hungarian Radio (Vasary) and The National Youth Orchestra (Sian Edwards). The only Russian connection with VW that I know of is Rozhdestvensky's fine old BBC Radio Classics recording of Symphony 5 and Sancta Civitas, but that was with the BBC SO.

[Thom]

Dundonnell, Thom, Karl, I'm sure you will enjoy the documentary. I found an excellent summary below:

http://arts.independent.co.uk/music/features/article3202040.ece

I gather that the BBC will show their own documentary sometime in 2008; the 50th anniversary of the composer's death.

Thanks again Jeffrey. I couldn't wait  so I ordered on Palmer's website. Looking forward to watching this documentary with X-mas.
Thom