Vaughan Williams's Veranda

[karlhenning]

Good to see that Sinterklaas did the right thing by you!

[Thom]

yes he was just in time ho ho ho 

[greg]

oh yeah, almost forgot.....

just finished my set of Vaugan Williams symphonies, conducted by Previn. I can't say everything after one listening, but I have a few thoughts.

i have mixed feelings about his music- it can either be gloriously mysterious or boring (sounding like film music).... it mixes between the two very often, back and forth. My favorites are the 2nd and 6th, least favorite possibly the 8th. I was interested in getting this set possibly ever since i read the review Karl wrote about concert playing the 6th... as for the last movement, i see what Karl meant (and even the writer of the liner notes, who also sounded enthusiastic).... that one obviously belongs to the "glorious mysteriousness" of his music  0:) (possibly my favorite movement of the whole set)

[vandermolen]

I have today played my new CD of Vaughan Williams conducts his own Fifth Symphony and Dona Nobis Pacem.  One critic has described this recording of Symphony No 5 as the best performance of any Vaughan Williams symphony on record. It is certainly one of the greatest, as it possesses an eloquence and insight unlike any other version of this work (a recently released Koussevitsky performance is similarly insightful in a more sibelian way). If you are attuned to this music, you have to hear this performance. The opening and closing movements have a concentrated power that I have not heard elsewhere and, throughout the work there is a greater warmth than is conveyed in other recordings 9and there are many). The 1952 recording (1936 in the case of Dona Nobis Pacem) has been successfully remastered and the occasional surface noise does not detract from a revelatory performance from the 1952 Proms in London. Strongly recommended to all VW fans.

[Sydney Grew]

The Sixth Symphony of Dr. Williams is on the whole pleasant to listen to but by no means perfect. We have no objection to its rumpty-tumpty second subject, but cannot abide the saxophone solo, which is we feel a gross error of taste. The only further point we might make here is that the final movement does seem to go on rather too long. Perhaps if the thematic material were more memorable - more beautiful - we would not so much mind the length.

[btpaul674]

The Sixth Symphony of Dr. Williams is on the whole pleasant to listen to but by no means perfect. We have no objection to its rumpty-tumpty second subject, but cannot abide the saxophone solo, which is we feel a gross error of taste. The only further point we might make here is that the final movement does seem to go on rather too long. Perhaps if the thematic material were more memorable - more beautiful - we would not so much mind the length.

Who is 'we'?

[btpaul674]

The Sixth Symphony of Dr. Williams is on the whole pleasant to listen to but by no means perfect. We have no objection to its rumpty-tumpty second subject, but cannot abide the saxophone solo, which is we feel a gross error of taste. The only further point we might make here is that the final movement does seem to go on rather too long. Perhaps if the thematic material were more memorable - more beautiful - we would not so much mind the length.

do you recommend another instrument to play the saxophone line? or should that line not exist?

I couldn't disagree more with your (plural) opinion(s) on the fourth movement. It may be one of the most beautiful movements I've ever heard.

[Montpellier]

The Sixth Symphony of Dr. Williams is on the whole pleasant to listen to but by no means perfect. We have no objection to its rumpty-tumpty second subject, but cannot abide the saxophone solo, which is we feel a gross error of taste. The only further point we might make here is that the final movement does seem to go on rather too long. Perhaps if the thematic material were more memorable - more beautiful - we would not so much mind the length.

I think VW knew what he was up to and chose the saxophone probably to give the line a malign sneering tone.  No matter what you think, he heard this work performed suffuciently to reach the decision in spite of several revisions made to the movement.   He was notorious for making adjustments during rehearsal and would have allocated the part elsewhere if he wanted a different result.  As for the last movement, problems occur more in interpretation and in at least one spot I think he did instruct rather poorly in the score.   But again, the fact is that he rehearsed and heard the work often in his lifetime, was friends with people who conducted it, so presumably we have to recognise that, as composer, it was what he wanted.   

[sound67]

The Sixth Symphony of Dr. Williams is on the whole pleasant to listen to but by no means perfect. We have no objection to its rumpty-tumpty second subject, but cannot abide the saxophone solo, which is we feel a gross error of taste. The only further point we might make here is that the final movement does seem to go on rather too long. Perhaps if the thematic material were more memorable - more beautiful - we would not so much mind the length.

A juvenile criticism. BTW, it's Dr. VAUGHAN Williams. You don't even know that, how would you understand the music?

Thomas

[Sydney Grew]

A juvenile criticism. By the way, it's Dr. VAUGHAN Williams. You don't even know that, how would you understand the music?

Juvenile? That must be a recommendation rather than anything else must it not. And perhaps the member might care just to cast an eye upon the appended pages, wherein he will note the appearance of the phrase "Dr. Williams" not once, but two times! Evidently the may we say overconfident Member has not previously encountered the expression . . .

As far as understanding the music is concerned, we who have so many hours of study behind us do despite what the Member says manage to accomplish that quite well too thank you. We can no doubt tell the group all kinds of new things about it!

[btpaul674]

so

uh...

you want me to post every page I can find that says Dr. Vaughan Williams?

Or do I have to add more boldprint on words of emphasis so you can understand that?

[J.Z. Herrenberg]

so

uh...

you want me to post every page I can find that says Dr. Vaughan Williams?

Or do I have to add more boldprint on words of emphasis so you can understand that?

Be on your guard adding more boldprint! Remember the famous line from the Zork computer game? "It is pitch black, you are likely to be eaten by a Grue"...

Jez

[btpaul674]

HA! 

[karlhenning]

The Sixth Symphony of Dr. Williams is on the whole pleasant to listen to but by no means perfect. We have no objection to its rumpty-tumpty second subject, but cannot abide the saxophone solo, which is we feel a gross error of taste.

Look, when you mean "I", say "I", all right?  You're coming across as pompous and fatuous.

That said, it is not only your use of The Allegedly Modest We which is pompous and fatuous in these remarks.  What you cannot abide, and what you feel, do not compromise the "perfection" of the symphony;  those are just snares unto your own sonic feet.

[greg]

The Sixth Symphony of Dr. Williams is on the whole pleasant to listen to but by no means perfect. We have no objection to its rumpty-tumpty second subject, but cannot abide the saxophone solo, which is we feel a gross error of taste. The only further point we might make here is that the final movement does seem to go on rather too long. Perhaps if the thematic material were more memorable - more beautiful - we would not so much mind the length.

you're hilarious! 
in fact, you're making me laugh uncontrollably for extended periods of time.... We have no objections to that, sir! 

[karlhenning]

Rumpty-tumpty is sooooo last century.

[greg]

We have no objections to Thai prostitutes because they emit good vibrational fields.

[greg]

We have no objections to Thai prostitutes because they emit good vibrational fields.

my new signature......

anyways, what's strange about the last movement of RVW's 6th is that despite being quiet and 10 min. long, it was over before i knew it! And we don't think the thematic material isn't beautiful because it is! 

[karlhenning]

Syd wouldn't think the last movement too long, if there was more rumpty-tumpty bits.

We I don't think the Sixth Symphony at all too long.

Nope, not at all.

[J.Z. Herrenberg]

We loves it too, the preciousss Sixth symphony by Dr. Williamsss.