Vaughan Williams's Veranda

[vandermolen]

I assume that you are referring to The Lark Ascending - if so I like the Pougnet/Boult version below.  It is part of an excellent double album.

[Lethevich]

Hehe, I did a lot of copy-editing, but seem to have missed that fundimental point

The Boult I knew was from the EMI box with Bean (again). That other recording is intriguing (and cheap, fortunately ), thanks!

[drogulus]

Hehe, I did a lot of copy-editing, but seem to have missed that fundimental point

The Boult I knew was from the EMI box with Bean (again). That other recording is intriguing (and cheap, fortunately ), thanks!

      I don't know the Bean/Handley Lark, in fact I didn't know there was one. Is it available, or "available"?

      I have the Handley performance with David Nolan and the LPO from 1985 (just checked).

[Lethevich]

Woah OMG, I am an absolute dork - sorry for any wild goose chases caused. I had been going through the EMI RVW 's box and misread a skim of the tracklisting - it was Boult/Bean I was referring to as Handley/Bean, which must mean that I think I heard Pougnet/Boult before and was impressed by it, but found it somewhat surpassed by the Bean recording. But given this evidence of my totally useless memory, I can't assume that, and it looks like I'm going to have to pick it up

An odd mistake, and makes me interested in Handley's real recording of the piece with David Nolan, but the current issue of that disc is coupled with some Elgar pieces that I haven't an interest in owning more duplicates of.

[drogulus]

An odd mistake, and makes me interested in Handley's real recording of the piece with David Nolan, but the current issue of that disc is coupled with some Elgar pieces that I haven't an interest in owning more duplicates of.

      I'm sure if you look around you'll find that it's "available".*

    _{* (squinched down to avoid detection by infidels?)}

[vandermolen]

Hehe, I did a lot of copy-editing, but seem to have missed that fundimental point

The Boult I knew was from the EMI box with Bean (again). That other recording is intriguing (and cheap, fortunately ), thanks!

It's a great double album - look out for 'Fantasia on the Old 104th' if you don't know it. One of those fascinating craggy late VW works - this one for Piano, Choir and Orchestra. my brother says it reminds him of the children's record 'Sparky's Magic Piano', but i don't really agree.

[Lethevich]

One of those fascinating craggy late VW works

Ah, a strongest possible recommendation for a work if ever I heard one! I think you said the same of the violin sonata on this forum several years ago which prompted me to buy the Nash Ensemble disc, and it's become an enduring favourite ever since.

      I'm sure if you look around you'll find that it's "available".*

    _{* (squinched down to avoid detection by infidels?)}

They will never find us if we whisper this quietly!

[vandermolen]

Ah, a strongest possible recommendation for a work if ever I heard one! I think you said the same of the violin sonata on this forum several years ago which prompted me to buy the Nash Ensemble disc, and it's become an enduring favourite ever since.
They will never find us if we whisper this quietly!

Well, that EMI double album is one for you then! It is very inexpensive on Amazon UK - my favourite of those double album releases which appeared c 2008 for the 50th anniversary of the composer's death.

[Lethevich]

Hmm. I'm going through the laborious process of checking what on that twofer is also on the 30 CD box (which I have). It seems that disc 1 of the twofer is directly duplicated in the box, and from disc 2 Boult's Concerto Grosso is included in the box, but frustratingly not his Parita (which is Handley's).

I think as it stands there is too much duplication to buy it, but I'll look out for the bits I need from it either as downloads, or on the remote chance I see the twofer secondhand cheaply.

And now, time to listen to the Fantasia on the Old 104th Psalm Tune! (I love that RVW box so much! )

[vandermolen]

Hmm. I'm going through the laborious process of checking what on that twofer is also on the 30 CD box (which I have). It seems that disc 1 of the twofer is directly duplicated in the box, and from disc 2 Boult's Concerto Grosso is included in the box, but frustratingly not his Parita (which is Handley's).

I think as it stands there is too much duplication to buy it, but I'll look out for the bits I need from it either as downloads, or on the remote chance I see the twofer secondhand cheaply.

And now, time to listen to the Fantasia on the Old 104th Psalm Tune! (I love that RVW box so much! )

Oh, in that case there is not much point in getting the album - but I'll be interested to hear if you like the 'Fantasia on the Old 104th' as much as I do.

[Lethevich]

It feels like RVW in full esoteric mode after two listens: alongside works like Flos Campi, but atmospherically so different - Flos is heavenly, this is earthbound for the most part, until the final few minutes which are wonderfully euphoric, although retain that essential weight from the orchestra and piano to suitably differenciate it. It would be interesting to listen to the two works in some kind of programme together...

To be frank, no work for such a complicated to balance array of forces such as an orchestra, piano soloist and chorus fills me with much hope, but that final half won me over with its delightful din. RVW's religious music is generally more mystically-oriented (such as the Te Deum) than this piece so it's quite valuble for what it offers. I couldn't resist listening to the following Magnificat afterwards, and the satisfying transition between the two vindicates the CD programming - it's a great way to follow the 104th and a nice piece in itself.

[vandermolen]

It feels like RVW in full esoteric mode after two listens: alongside works like Flos Campi, but atmospherically so different - Flos is heavenly, this is earthbound for the most part, until the final few minutes which are wonderfully euphoric, although retain that essential weight from the orchestra and piano to suitably differenciate it. It would be interesting to listen to the two works in some kind of programme together...

To be frank, no work for such a complicated to balance array of forces such as an orchestra, piano soloist and chorus fills me with much hope, but that final half won me over with its delightful din. RVW's religious music is generally more mystically-oriented (such as the Te Deum) than this piece so it's quite valuble for what it offers. I couldn't resist listening to the following Magnificat afterwards, and the satisfying transition between the two vindicates the CD programming - it's a great way to follow the 104th and a nice piece in itself.

Thanks for the feedback. I too listened to the Fantasia followed by the rather fine, ethereal Magnificat today.  For me, the Fantasia on the Old 104th is inextricably linked to Symphony No 9 as they were coupled together on Boult's old EMI LP. I thought that they went well together.  Glad you liked the late, craggy Violin Sonata.  So at least my recommendations have a 50% success rate 

[Scarpia]

Glad you liked the late, craggy Violin Sonata.  So at least my recommendations have a 50% success rate 

My first thought, yes, I have to listen to my recording of that one.   My second thought, wait, do I even have a recording of that?   All these British composers are blurring in my brain.  I have the Elgar violin sonata, I have the Walton violin sonata, I think I even have the Delius violin sonatas, do I have the Vaughan Williams violin Sonata?  No!   

[Mirror Image]

Ralph Vaughan Williams, for me, is one of those composers that can send you into an emotional tizzy or he can completely turn somebody off and just leave them cold. His sound-world, which was always changing, is one of the most fascinating I've heard in any English composer. I certainly relate more to his music than I do any of counterparts Bax, Holst, and his own teachers Stanford and Parry who were very much conservative in their musical choices. One of the most astounding, and at times breath-taking, aspects of RVW's music is his sheer lyricism even at its most dissonant (Symphonies Nos. 4 & 6 for example).

When I first got into his music, I completely took a chance on some of his smaller orchestral works with a recording by Neville Marriner and the ASMF on Argo. This recording was my introduction to this man's music and what an intro it was! It took me some time to build up strength for his symphones as I heard they're some of the most enigmatic of the entire 20th Century. I wasn't aware that this composer had a dark side, then I heard "Symphony No. 4" and was completely shocked. But one thing still remained: that remarkable lyricism was still to be found in this dark and troubled work, which, by the way, isn't about WWI, it's about his marriage and his feelings of frustration and grief. Though not a great documentary, "O Thou Transcendent" gives us a better glimpse into his first marriage.

RVW is one of my favorite composers and I think if anyone was to look into exploring English composers, he should definitely be the first one to explore as his music bleeds humanity, purity, beauty, and humility. I am humbled everytime I hear a work like "Five Variants of Dives and Lazarus" or "Five Tudor Portraits" or "Flos Campi," or "Job: A Masque for Dancing" or "Conceto for Two Pianos," etc.

[Sergeant Rock]

When I first got into his music, I completely took a chance on some of his smaller orchestral works with a recording by Neville Marriner and the ASMF on Argo. This recording was my introduction to this man's music and what an intro it was!....I wasn't aware that this composer had a dark side, then I heard "Symphony No. 4" and was completely shocked.

Ah, you eased your way into VW's music. I can imagine the shock then when you met the Fourth   Me, I jumped right into the deep end at age 16. My introduction to VW was the Fourth Symphony; heard it during Bernstein's Musical Atoms: A Study of Interval, his young people's concert from late 1965. A few months later I heard the entire symphony on Cleveland's classical station, WCLV. That propelled me to look for a recording but pickin's were slim then in my part of the country and the only VW I could find was Barbirolli's recording of the Eighth (coupled with Elgar's Enigma). That was my first classical LP. A few weeks later I bought the "London" (again Barbirolli's Hallé recording). I've been a RVW fanatic ever since.

Sarge

[karlhenning]

My second "meeting" with Vaughan Williams was not a success, but the fault was mine.  I've since more than made up for that. My first "meeting" was really a bundle of mostly slighter pieces (hymns, the odd church anthem, e.g.) . . . and the first movement of the Fifth Symphony, to which we listened in class (the Music History sequence), and which I felt I liked well at the time.

Some years later, I was doing my doctoral work in Buffalo, and two or three goes I had at various symphonies left me cold;  but my ears were after other things at the time.

By now, I really like practically all the symphonies (still not an enormous fan of A London Symphony, but that may change) and, for instance, Flos campi.

[Mirror Image]

I feel that Bean/Handley is the most "yes, you understood that" performance, but the Davis/Thomson makes a fine supplement. Does anybody know of any other recordings of note?

That is a fine 2-CD set right there, which was apart of Thomson's ongoing RVW series, which I own every RVW recording he made. Just to let everybody know I own all symphony cycles of RVW: Boult (both Decca and EMI), Andrew Davis (Warner Classics), Thomson, Handley, Previn, Slatkin, and Haitink. The sets I'm most impressed with are Thomson, Davis, and Boult (EMI). I feel Slatkin, Handley, Previn, and Haitink fall short for different reasons. One problem with the Previn is the terrible audio rendered by RCA. The main problems I have with Handley, Slatkin, and Haitink is I don't think they were fully committed to RVW's sound-world. Handley's recording of "Symphony No. 5" is one of the bigger disappointments in my collection. I do feel, however, that Handley's best performances are "A Pastoral Symphony" and "Job: A Masque for Dancing." I will have to revisit his reading of "The Lark Ascending." My favorite "Lark" is the very one you praised: Davis/Thomson. I also liked Little/Davis on Warner. It's so hard to get the right balance in this work. Like you said, some performances feature a very virtuosic, and closely miked, violin part that completely drowns out the orchestra. Three performances I can think of that do this: Chang/Haitink, Kennedy/Rattle, and Hahn/Colin Davis. I feel the Davis/Thomson offers just the right balance and dialogue between soloist and orchestra.

[Elgarian]

This morning, I cycled to RVW's 5th symphony for the first time, in brilliant sunshine along the length of the cycle path that runs by the river. And very nice it was too, although - and here's a curiosity - it's somehow a lot easier to cycle while listening to Elgar. I wonder if this is as inconsequential as it sounds. We know Elgar composed a lot of stuff while cycling - so maybe something of that rythmic process found its way into the music? Is that altogether a foolish notion? RVW fits the pastoral landscape beautifully, but it would have been just as good if I'd been sitting, whereas listening to Elgar actually seems to make the pedalling less hard work.

Tomorrow I shall be listening to Wagner while walking a tightrope across a vast canyon. The day after (if there is a day after) I shall be listening to Holst in a spaceship to Mars. Etc, etc.

[greg]

Are there any good performances of the Antarctican Symphony on youtube? I have Previn's version in the box set, and I love it... I'll do a search myself now, but is there anything recommendable?

[karlhenning]

Tomorrow I shall be listening to Wagner while walking a tightrope across a vast canyon.

I thought that bore the legend: Kids, Don't Try This At Home . . . ?