Vaughan Williams's Veranda

[knight66]

Josh, Luxon was an OK singer, but not one to imprint words onto your brain. He also had a good voice rather than a great one. Let me know how you get on with the performances from Terfel.

Mike

[sound67]

Josh, Luxon was an OK singer, but not one to imprint words onto your brain.

Certainly, the Welsh Wobbler is!

[knight66]

I assume by the smilie, that you jest. I do remember hearing a Messiah from Cardiff on TV about two years ago and there was a pronounced wobble. It was awful. I dreded hearing him live a few months later; but when I did his voice was again as solid as a rock.

Mike

[rw1883]

Still going through VW's symphonies one by one (started in early January).  I have reached the 4th and have been completely blown away by Bryden Thomson's interpretation (this is becoming my favorite set).  I went ahead and bought the Thomson after reading some members favorable comments.  I just ordered the 4th & 5th conducted by VW and Barbirolli on Dutton.  I still haven't found the Bernstein 4th or the Berglund 6th, but I probably have to look more diligently.  On to more listening...

Paul

[sound67]

Still going through VW's symphonies one by one (started in early January).  I have reached the 4th and have been completely blown away by Bryden Thomson's interpretation (this is becoming my favorite set).  I went ahead and bought the Thomson after reading some members favorable comments.  I just ordered the 4th & 5th conducted by VW and Barbirolli on Dutton.  I still haven't found the Bernstein 4th or the Berglund 6th, but I probably have to look more diligently.  On to more listening...

The only weak spots in the Thomson cycle are a limp 6th and a matter-of-fact 8th. The rest is very good to excellent, with the "London", 4th and 5th oustanding. Thomson's cycle is still much underrated, especially by those who were angry that Chandos selected him (the "Chandos house conductor", he was sneered at at the time - a phrase which always made me angry!) to record the cycle, and not Vernon Handley (who a few years later got his own glorious cycle with the RLPO on EMI).

In the 4th Symphony, I only regard Berglund as superior to Thomson, because he is even more savage. Vaughan Williams' own version is certainly the most ferocious, but because of the sound quality and the playing of the BBC Orchestra it's more of a souvenir really.

Thomas

[J.Z. Herrenberg]

The only weak spots in the Thomson cycle are a limp 6th and a matter-of-fact 8th. The rest is very good to excellent, with the "London", 4th and 5th outstanding.

Nice write-up, Thomas. And - if Thomson Fifth hadn't been outstanding, I wouldn't have 'cracked' that particular symphony.

[Christo]

The only weak spots in the Thomson cycle are a limp 6th and a matter-of-fact 8th. The rest is very good to excellent, with the "London", 4th and 5th oustanding. Thomson's cycle is still much underrated (...)

Thomas

However high I hold your views in general and on RVW specifically in esteem, I beg to disagree in a few details. I for me always loved Thomsons' slow but in my ears highly dramatic opening Allegro of the Sixth, and happen to dislike Andrew Davies' quicker rendering (he fares well in the final movement, but in the other three I certainly prefer Thomson's).

To make things worse, I happpen to prefer Thomson's Eight too, above most of the competitiopn, again, especially for the sake of its fine, `dry', first movement, the Fantasia (Variazioni Senza Tema).

And to end dramatically: I've been listening to most of the symphonies in the Andrew Davies BBC cycle recently (I was able to buy the set cheaply, no doubt because of their bad reviews). And I find most of them quite acceptible, much better than I expected. But again I make an exception for his Sixth, the only one that received wide praise, but for me remains too much underpowered to enjoy.

Thomson's cycle is probably my first choice overall, helped no doubt by their warm Chandos acoustics which for me were a quite revelation, back in the eighties (when we only had Previn and the second Boult cycle to our disposal yet).

(For similar reasons, another highlight in Thomson's cycle for me are the two central movements of the Ninth: very dramatic in my ears and by far the finest reading of them that I know of, but probably not your first choice, are they?)

[karlhenning]

I have heard the Thomson well spoken of, though I have not had opportunity to hear any of his Vaughan Williams set, myself.

[Harry]

And its also a fact that Haitink's set is largely ignored, so to get rid of that was a good decision, and in the process make someone happy with it.
That said, I still think Andre Previn's complete set, still the best on the market, everyone of them.
They have a urgency and inner drive that makes me sit up, and still does, after countless hearings.
Previn's recklessness and the passion he brings to VW music, is unsurpassed for me.

[vandermolen]

No 6 is extremely difficult to get right on disc. There are very few successful performances. Boult's 1952 Decca (with VW's speech) is the best. Boult's earlier one is excellent as is Abravanel's on Vanguard. Of modern recordings Davis, Thomson and Haitink are the best. EMI should reissue Berglund's sibelian account (it is much better than the earlier Handley recording which they have recently reissued).

Thomson's is one of the best.  Andrew Achenbach described it as "soggy" but BBC Music Magazine top 1000 CD book has it as a top choice. Stokowski rushes the last movement but is still compulsive listening as is Barbirolli's Bavarian RSO version on Orfeo.

[Szykneij]

I just experienced Vaughan William's string quartets (Music Group of London - EMI) for the first time and thoroughly enjoyed them both. On the initial hearing, I seem to prefer No. 1 but I'll be giving them another listen this evening. I've read that Vaughan Williams's chamber output is underrated. In my mind, these two works are good examples.

[drogulus]

    My first exposure to the 6th was the Boult/Decca. Unfortunately I no longer have it. I do have the Abravanel as well as the Boult/EMI, and I prefer the Abravanel.

I just experienced Vaughan William's string quartets (Music Group of London - EMI) for the first time and thoroughly enjoyed them both. On the initial hearing, I seem to prefer No. 1 but I'll be giving them another listen this evening. I've read that Vaughan Williams's chamber output is underrated. In my mind, these two works are good examples.

    By No. 1 do you mean the Phantasy Quintet? I think the 2nd quartet takes some getting used to, but I'm learning to love it. This is RVW in his sterner late style, akin to the 6th symphony. And if anyone out there is an admirer of Hugh Bean's rendition of RVW's The Lark Ascending, you must have this disc.

     

   

[Szykneij]

  By No. 1 do you mean the Phantasy Quintet? I think the 2nd quartet takes some getting used to, but I'm learning to love it.

No, I was listening to his String Quartet No. 1 in G minor that pre-dates the Phantasy Quintet by a few years, although it was revised in 1921. It's strikingly different in style from his String Quartet No. 2 in A minor (1943) which I think I could learn to love, too.

[eyeresist]

I've listened through my new Previn set a few times. I still wouldn't rank VW at the top, but I've found that familiarity does wonderful things for these works. I still find the other orchestral works dull, though.
A niggle with this set is that 6 and 9 are programmed on the same disc, which means they sort-of blend unless I make the effort to shut off the CD player after track 4.

I've ordered a disc of Handley in 4 and 6 to supplement the Previn, and after that arrives I think I'll live with what I've got for a while.   Next set, if there is one, will be the Boult/Decca.

[J.Z. Herrenberg]

I've listened through my new Previn set a few times. I still wouldn't rank VW at the top, but I've found that familiarity does wonderful things for these works.

Any favourites?

[eyeresist]

Any favourites?

It's still 2, 3 and 7 at the moment, but the Handley disc might change that....

2 - An English Respighi!
3 - Still haven't got a grip on this one. Elusive.
7 - Those sliding chords combined with great atmosphere and colour. The wind machine doesn't sound as silly as I expected. (And Previn eats Bakels for lunch with this one!)


I just realised that someone unfamiliar with VW might think I meant "sliding chords" literally. It would be an interesting effect....

[vandermolen]

Previn's are the best performances on disc, IMHO, of symphonies 2,3 and 8. 5 and 9 are also excellent.

[btpaul674]

I agree with vandermolen with Previn however the toccata of the 8th by Hickox is better than Previn.

[The new erato]

I've ordered a disc of Handley in 4 and 6 to supplement the Previn,

You shouldn't have done that, all the Handley discs wil be included in the VW Collectors Edition on 30 discs being released dirt cheap late april.

All the concertos, all the operas, Flos Campi, The Serenade, Job, etc, etc.....

[vandermolen]

I agree with vandermolen with Previn however the toccata of the 8th by Hickox is better than Previn.

OK will listen to it as I have it with Hickox's poor Symphony 6