Vaughan Williams's Veranda

[Draško]

Good as they are (Elder's 'A Pastoral Symphony' for example)

Elder's Pastoral is absolutely superb. My favorite recording of the piece, by wide margin.

[Biffo]

Remind me why Elder's 4 & 6 was bad.   Was it sleepy?

Lacklustre is how I would describe No 4. No 6 was better but still a disappointment, particularly after the high standard of the earlier releases.

[vandermolen]

Lacklustre is how I would describe No 4. No 6 was better but still a disappointment, particularly after the high standard of the earlier releases.

+1

[Biffo]

Currently Record Review on BBC Radio 3 has a feature where a guest reviewer chooses five 'essential' works by a composer whose works are being played in the Proms season. Today the composer was RVW and the reviewer Mark Lowther. He stressed that it was a personal choice and described the Tuba Concerto as 'a wild card'. Here are his choices -

(1) Songs of Travel - Bryn Terfel (from 'The Vagabond')
(2) A Sea Symphony - Haitink/LPO
(3) Fifth Symphony - Barbirolli/Philharmonia
(4) Tuba Concerto - Fletcher/LSO/Previn (a wild card)
(5) Tallis Fantasia - Silvestri/Bournemouth SO

Anyone have any thoughts?

I find it difficult to choose five essential symphonies let alone from the entire output but here goes. I haven't chosen any songs or chamber music as, though I have various recordings, they are less essential to me and, after much agonising, included only one symphony.

(1) Tallis Fantasia - Barbirolli/Sinfonia of London
(2) Pastoral Symphony - Previn/LSO
(3) Job - Boult/LPO
(4) Dona nobis pacem - Boult/LPO
(5) The Pilgrim's Progress - Hickox/ Orchestra of the ROH etc

Numerous personal favourites have been sacrificed to fit the format.

[Christo]

Anyone have any thoughts?

Without checking anything specifically (I might forget a few recordings), five personal favourites would be:

1. Tallis Fantasia - Barbirolli
2. A Pastoral Symphony - Elder/Halle
3. Sixth Symphony - Thomson/LSO
4. Dona nobis pacem - Boult/LPO
5. Three Portraits from The England of Elizabeth - Previn (wild card)

[vandermolen]

Off the top of my head:

Symphony 6 (Boult, LPO Decca with VW speech at end)
A London Symphony 1913 (Hickox)
Pilgrim's Progress (Hickox)
Double Piano Concerto (Boult/Vronsky/Babin)

Wild card:

Fantasia on the Old 104th (Boult's is the only recording I think)

[Draško]

- Tallis Fantasia (Barbirolli, Marriner)
- Five Variants of Dives and Lazarus (Willcocks)
- A Pastoral Symphony (Elder)
- A London Symphony (1913 Hickox)
- Oboe Concerto (Bourge/Boughton)
- Symphony No.5 (Previn II)

[vandermolen]

- Tallis Fantasia (Barbirolli, Marriner)
- Five Variants of Dives and Lazarus (Willcocks)
- A Pastoral Symphony (Elder)
- A London Symphony (1913 Hickox)
- Oboe Concerto (Bourge/Boughton)
- Symphony No.5 (Previn II)

Your the first to mention the Five Variants on Dives and Lazarus which I listen to more often than the Tallis Fantasia. My favourite recording is the one by Barbirolli which I first discovered on a fine old EMI LP taken out of a record library in my youth. Its couplings were the Oboe Concerto and Rubbra's 5th Symphony. It was my introduction to three marvellous works.

I think I should have included Dona Nobis Pacem in my list, which I'm seeing in concert tomorrow. Boult's would be my preferred choice.

[Biffo]

Your the first to mention the Five Variants on Dives and Lazarus which I listen to more often than the Tallis Fantasia. My favourite recording is the one by Barbirolli which I first discovered on a fine old EMI LP taken out of a record library in my youth. Its couplings were the Oboe Concerto and Rubbra's 5th Symphony. It was my introduction to three marvellous works.

I think I should have included Dona Nobis Pacem in my list, which I'm seeing in concert tomorrow. Boult's would be my preferred choice.

Five Variants of Dives and Lazarus is a beautiful work but, for me, not in the same class as the Tallis Fantasia, a work I am obsessed with. I first heard FVDL on an Argo LP from Marriner/ASMF. Your mention of Barbirolli drove me nuts - I was sure I must have it somewhere. The Rubbra symphony has been shuffled off to accompany Britten's Violin Concerto (original version). I eventually found the Five Variants in the two disc set that contains Barbirolli's performance of the Sinfonia antartica; it is a superb performance, shame he didn't record it again in stereo though the 1998 remastering is very good.

If I was tempted to include a wild card it would be Five Tudor Portraits (Hickox/LSO) though mainly for 'Jane Scroop'. The Hickox disc also contains a fine performance of FVDL.

[Sergeant Rock]

Currently Record Review on BBC Radio 3 has a feature where a guest reviewer chooses five 'essential' works by a composer

My five for today:

Symphony No.1 Boult/LPO (EMI)
Symphony No.4 Bernstein/New York
Symphony No.8 Haitink/LPO
Toward the Unknown Region Thomson/LSO
Serenade to Music Boult/LPO


Sarge

[Draško]

Your the first to mention the Five Variants on Dives and Lazarus ...

My taste in Vaughan Williams does tend to run strongly toward his more pastoral side. 

[knight66]

He has a new recording of the Sea Symphony coming out.  It is this one: http://elizabethwattssoprano.com/?event=vaughan-williams-sea-symphony-with-bbc-scottish-orchestra-brabbins-at-edinburgh-festival

I was in this performance which was earlier this week. It was recorded by the BBC, but no one mentioed to us that it might be issued as a disc. I think it has only been recorded for future broadcasting. The performance has been very well received. He did not linger unduly, so there is no wallowing.

Mike

[vandermolen]

Five Variants of Dives and Lazarus is a beautiful work but, for me, not in the same class as the Tallis Fantasia, a work I am obsessed with. I first heard FVDL on an Argo LP from Marriner/ASMF. Your mention of Barbirolli drove me nuts - I was sure I must have it somewhere. The Rubbra symphony has been shuffled off to accompany Britten's Violin Concerto (original version). I eventually found the Five Variants in the two disc set that contains Barbirolli's performance of the Sinfonia antartica; it is a superb performance, shame he didn't record it again in stereo though the 1998 remastering is very good.

If I was tempted to include a wild card it would be Five Tudor Portraits (Hickox/LSO) though mainly for 'Jane Scroop'. The Hickox disc also contains a fine performance of FVDL.

It took me a few minutes to work out what FVDL meant  . I rather like the Five Tudor Portraits (FTP) which has grown on me over the years. I recently discovered a fine version conducted by William Steinberg. I agree, however, that Hickox's FTP/FVDL is a great coupling on Chandos.

[Karl Henning]

Currently Record Review on BBC Radio 3 has a feature where a guest reviewer chooses five 'essential' works by a composer whose works are being played in the Proms season. Today the composer was RVW and the reviewer Mark Lowther. He stressed that it was a personal choice and described the Tuba Concerto as 'a wild card'. Here are his choices -

(1) Songs of Travel - Bryn Terfel (from 'The Vagabond')
(2) A Sea Symphony - Haitink/LPO
(3) Fifth Symphony - Barbirolli/Philharmonia
(4) Tuba Concerto - Fletcher/LSO/Previn (a wild card)
(5) Tallis Fantasia - Silvestri/Bournemouth SO

Anyone have any thoughts?

I find it difficult to choose five essential symphonies let alone from the entire output but here goes. I haven't chosen any songs or chamber music as, though I have various recordings, they are less essential to me and, after much agonising, included only one symphony.

(1) Tallis Fantasia - Barbirolli/Sinfonia of London
(2) Pastoral Symphony - Previn/LSO
(3) Job - Boult/LPO
(4) Dona nobis pacem - Boult/LPO
(5) The Pilgrim's Progress - Hickox/ Orchestra of the ROH etc

Numerous personal favourites have been sacrificed to fit the format.

Without contesting his choice (he did say—what we all know to be true, anyway—that is personal) I do wonder what he finds essential about the Tuba Concerto.

[Biffo]

I was in this performance which was earlier this week. It was recorded by the BBC, but no one mentioed to us that it might be issued as a disc. I think it has only been recorded for future broadcasting. The performance has been very well received. He did not linger unduly, so there is no wallowing.

Mike

The Hyperion release (September 28) is not the same as the Edinburgh performance, it has a different orchestra (BBC SO), soloists etc -

https://www.hyperion-records.co.uk/dc.asp?dc=D_CDA68245

I look forward to hearing your performance when it is eventually broadcast.

[Biffo]

Without contesting his choice (he did say—what we all know to be true, anyway—that is personal) I do wonder what he finds essential about the Tuba Concerto.

He did stress it was a 'wild card' choice and seemed as much concerned with the artistry of John Fletcher as the work itself. I wasn't convinced it was 'essential' even though the reviewer thought it a more substantial work than it is usually given credit for.

[Karl Henning]

Thanks.

[knight66]

The Hyperion release (September 28) is not the same as the Edinburgh performance, it has a different orchestra (BBC SO), soloists etc -

https://www.hyperion-records.co.uk/dc.asp?dc=D_CDA68245

I look forward to hearing your performance when it is eventually broadcast.

Ha, well that scuppers it from being released stuck to the front of the BBC magazine, a pity. The broadcast will be especially worthwhile for the Thea Musgrave performance which preceded the Sea Symphony. Turbulent Landscapes is an exceptional piece and Brabanns brought out a terrific range of colours and sonorities. More than in the only current recording that I could find.

Mike

[Archaic Torso of Apollo]

Last night's concert, under the stars on a beautiful summer evening:

Grant Park Orchestra
Carlos Kalmar, conductor
Pablo Ferrández, cellist
Prokofiev: Sinfonia Concertante
Ives: The Unanswered Question
Vaughan Williams: Symphony No. 4

Finally I got the chance to hear my favorite VW symphony live. And hooray, it was a stunning performance. The general approach was fast and kind of neo-classical, but with a huge amount of energy. Pairing it with the Prokofiev brought out some similarities between the two composers that I wouldn't have normally suspected. I was also struck by how much the scherzo reminded me of Holst's "Jupiter" - something I hadn't thought of before.

Great playing from all sections of the orchestra, but especially the brass. Big ovation from the large audience at the end. I noted with a certain irony the large number of listeners having picnics on the lawn, even though the liner notes for the Previn recording of this (the first one I got) said that the 4th was "not music for picnics."

[Karl Henning]

Cool program!  (Did I say that before?...)