Vaughan Williams's Veranda

[Bogey]

Bill, there are many wonderful Vaughan Williams compositions.  I strongly recommend the Boult/EMI Classics box set of the symphonies, and other orchestral works.

Have you heard Fantasia on a Theme of Thomas Tallis?  The Lark Ascending?  Job:  A Masque for Dancing?  All great works!

My personal favorite of his symphonies is Symphony No. 6 in E minor, with Andrew Davis conducting.

Also, check out the Phantasy Quintet and String Quartets on Naxos, with Maggini Quartet.  Great stuff! 

Happy exploring!

I may lean toward these earlier Boult efforts, Ray.  Any reservations I should have?

[Mirror Image]

Bogey, thankfully when it comes to RVW there are many recordings and sets available to satisfy many across a wide spectrum.

A few suggestions for you:

One of the first works I think people should hear first is The Lark Ascending. The reason I suggest this work first is because it contains some of exquisite writing for violin I've heard from any composer. It's essentially a rhapsody for violin and orchestra. If you love the violin, then this is a must hear. One of the best performances I've heard interestingly enough did not come from Hugh Bean/Boult, although this is a good performance but from Michael Davis with Bryden Thomson conducting the LSO on Chandos, which can be found in this excellent 2-CD set of concertos and string orchestra works:

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The symphonies are discussed a lot around here and there are many sets to choose from. My favorite is Bryden Thomson with the LSO on Chandos. My favorite RVW symphonies are Nos. 3-5 and the 8th. The 1st, 2nd, 6th, 7th, and 9th are also very good. I really like all the symphonies, but as with anybody, I have my favorites.

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Job: A Masque for Dancing has become one of my favorite RVW works. It's a ballet and contains some remarkable music. I own around 5 or 6 recordings of this work and probably my favorite is Hickox/Bournemouth Symphony on EMI. Unfortunately, this recording is out-of-print, but I'm sure you can find a used copy somewhere. It's a largely successful recording not just for the performance, but for the fact that EMI got some good audio here and there seems to be a little volume boost which gives the listener a chance to savor the more quiet, introspective sections (i. e. the beginning of the section Job's Dream).

RVW is one of my favorite composers and I think he's definitely worth investigating. Not because I'm a biased fan, but because I think his music has a timelessness and beauty that never fails to inspire me and move me deeply. Hope you enjoy the music as much as I have.

[Brahmsian]

I may lean toward these earlier Boult efforts, Ray.  Any reservations I should have?

Looks like from my EMI set, the recordings are from the late 60s and early 70s.

[Bogey]

Looks like from my EMI set, the recordings are from the late 60s and early 70s.

The set I posted are from the 50's with 1-7 being mono.

[Bogey]

Thanks MI!  I am also looking at some Stokowski efforts....always enjoy him, even if he takes liberties....which is maybe why I do.

[vandermolen]

Extremely late to this party (I may have posted in the thread somewhere, but have forgotten if I did), but then again I just purchased my first disc of RVW.  I have a few pieces here and there in my collection, but cannot find a single disc dedicated to just this composer until my purchase yesterday afternoon.  Here it be:


Recorded 1937 and 1944

I settled into listening to the 4th this morning as conducted by RVW.  Wow.  I was immediately transported into imagery that soon became a narrative in my head.  Not sure what his intent was, but I could not help picturing the credits to an old black and white jungle adventure movie opening up before me.  I sensed themes for different characters that immediately came alive in my imagination, queues for scenic shots, and even some light humored moments that fit the bill of a youngster "trollying" along with the group of explorers....in short, this music painted a story that has never been written, but was today in my imagination.  I am sure that it helped that this was a historic recording, and at times smacked of Steiner's King Kong.

I am aware that he wrote some music for film, but did he do that at the start of his composing, middle, end, or throughout?

I will give the 5th a listen this week, but I want to take my time.  Many times I have immersed myself in composers that I have not discovered yet with the purchases of large box sets.  Though these get played, I find that a few discs here and there suit me better these days.  I will scan through the 80+ pages here for recs, but I see myself concentrating, for now, on the historical recordings of this composer.  The sound that it lends seems to have struck a positive chord for me.

PS Does anyone else have this 1937 performance of the 4th?

You've chosen a great historical CD to start with - yes, I have that version of No 4 - it is very exciting.  At the time of its composition some commentators thought it reflected the troubled state of Europe, Rise of Fascism etc.  the composer denied all of this but it does have a kind of filmic quality - I agree with you.  Another vote for Symphony No 6 from me too.  If you like No 4 you should really like No 6 abouit which there were similar controversies concerning its 'meaning'.  Some critics thought that the Symphony (written just after World War Two) again reflected the fears and anxieties of its time and that the extraordinary last movement - played 'pianissimo' throughout, reflected a scene of nuclear devastation - again Vaughan Williams denied all of this - relating it to The Tempest instead. If you like historical performances, you might enjoy Stokowski's premiere recording on Sony and with it you get the Tallis Fantasia and Mitropolous's blistening account of Symphony No 4 - which Vaughan Williams thought highly of too.

[Mirror Image]

I may lean toward these earlier Boult efforts, Ray.  Any reservations I should have?

Obviously, you're not bothered by mono sound, but I think RVW should be heard in good stereo sound as his music looses a lot of those wonderful textures that are found in the scores. I own every symphony set available and the one I come back to the most is the one that I recommended to you: Thomson/LSO on Chandos. You can go the inexpensive route with Handley, Andrew Davis, Haitink, Boult (EMI/Decca), but Thomson's set is really something quite special.

[Bogey]

you might enjoy Stokowski's premiere recording on Sony and with it you get the Tallis Fantasia and Mitropolous's blistening account of Symphony No 4 - which Vaughan Williams thought highly of too.

Thanks, V!  Can you link me to this set?

Thanks again , MI.  Always enjoyed the Chandos label efforts and their sound, so it should be a winner at this end as well.

[Mirror Image]

Thanks MI!  I am also looking at some Stokowski efforts....always enjoy him, even if he takes liberties....which is maybe why I do.

You're welcome. I guess I'm just not that enthusiastic about historical recordings. I recognize their importance, but I just can't get past the sound of them. I need a good stereo sound from my classical recordings. Stokowski is a great conductor, but, again, doesn't measure up to Thomson in RVW or even Boult for that matter.

[vandermolen]

I may lean toward these earlier Boult efforts, Ray.  Any reservations I should have?

Sorry to but in but you wont go wrong here.  All performances are excellent, with a best ever No 6. You also get VW's speech after No 6 and Boult's tribute before No 9 (VW was due to attend the recording in August 1958 but died during the previous night). All the other recordings were made with VW in the studio.  You need one of Boult's four recordings of 'Job' to supplement the set (he was the deicatee).

[Bogey]

I like RVW said about the 4th:

"I don't know if I like it, but it is what I meant."

[Mirror Image]

Sorry to but in but you wont go wrong here.  All performances are excellent, with a best ever No 6. You also get VW's speech after No 6 and Boult's tribute before No 9 (VW was due to attend the recording in August 1958 but died during the previous night). All the other recordings were made with VW in the studio.  You need one of Boult's four recordings of 'Job' to supplement the set (he was the deicatee).

Yes, they're good performances even for mono recordings, but I just can't give them a 100% recommendation as a first set of symphonies. The stereo Boult would be a much better recommendation especially if sound is important to the listener. Boult turned in many fine Job performances, but I've done comparisons with all the ones I own and Hickox and Handley easily outperform Boult.

[Mirror Image]

I like RVW said about the 4th:

"I don't know if I like it, but it is what I meant."

RVW was very careful not to explain the meanings behind his symphonies. People have asked him over and over "What does this mean here?" or "What did you mean in the 6th symphony when you wrote this..." He left the interpretation up to the listener.

[vandermolen]

Thanks, V!  Can you link me to this set?

Thanks again , MI.  Always enjoyed the Chandos label efforts and their sound, so it should be a winner at this end as well.

Of course - with pleasure.

The Sony only now seems to be available at a ridiculous price - but here it is on Cala in it's best transfer - this is a really nice CD.  You don't get the Mitropolous No 4 but you have the VW recording anyway:

http://www.amazon.com/Vaughan-Williams-Symphony-Tchiakovsky-Weinberger/dp/B000222YGO/ref=sr_1_1?s=music&ie=UTF8&qid=1312649556&sr=1-1

[vandermolen]

Bogey,

I think that you are US based so I did a link to the US Amazon site but I just checked and the Stokowski/Mitropolous VW 4 and 6 + Tallis CD is available very cheaply from the UK Amazon site;

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Symphonies-4-6-Mitropoulos/dp/B0000263RR/ref=sr_1_15?s=music&ie=UTF8&qid=1312649932&sr=1-15

I agree with Mirror Image - if you want modern recordings the later Boult or Thomson sets are excellent (and the Boult includes Job and the Concerto for Two Pianos etc). You can also pick up the underrated Andrew Davis set quite cheaply - his version of Symphony Non 6 is magnificent in all respects.

[Bogey]

RVW was very careful not to explain the meanings behind his symphonies. People have asked him over and over "What does this mean here?" or "What did you mean in the 6th symphony when you wrote this..." He left the interpretation up to the listener.

Excellent!

Thanks for the links....time to consider my next purchase.

[Mirror Image]

Hey Jeffery, have you heard Hickox's performance of Job with the Bournemouth Symphony on EMI? This is an outstanding recording.

[vandermolen]

Hey Jeffery, have you heard Hickox's performance of Job with the Bournemouth Symphony on EMI? This is an outstanding recording.

I do have this (on an EMI CD) but I have only played it once - so must listen again.

[Mirror Image]

I do have this (on an EMI CD) but I have only played it once - so must listen again.

Yes, please do and tell me what you think.

[eyeresist]

I settled into listening to the 4th this morning as conducted by RVW.  Wow.  I was immediately transported into imagery that soon became a narrative in my head.  Not sure what his intent was, but I could not help picturing the credits to an old black and white jungle adventure movie opening up before me.  I sensed themes for different characters that immediately came alive in my imagination, queues for scenic shots, and even some light humored moments that fit the bill of a youngster "trollying" along with the group of explorers....in short, this music painted a story that has never been written, but was today in my imagination.  I am sure that it helped that this was a historic recording, and at times smacked of Steiner's King Kong.

I am aware that he wrote some music for film, but did he do that at the start of his composing, middle, end, or throughout?

I will give the 5th a listen this week, but I want to take my time.  Many times I have immersed myself in composers that I have not discovered yet with the purchases of large box sets.  Though these get played, I find that a few discs here and there suit me better these days.  I will scan through the 80+ pages here for recs, but I see myself concentrating, for now, on the historical recordings of this composer.  The sound that it lends seems to have struck a positive chord for me.

I'm glad I'm not the only one for whom the 4th sounds like exciting film music! For me, it is the opening to a grim film noir. RVW's film music came towards the end of his career, prompted by the patriotic demands of WW2. His 7th "Antartica" is the most obviously "filmic", being developed from music he wrote for Scott of the Antarctic. (For film music haters, it should be pointed out that stylistically RVW was generally 10 years ahead of cinematic trends.)

I recommend the Previn's uber-romantic cycle (esp. 2, 3, 5, 7 (most epic ever) & 9), supplemented with Marriner's 2-disc set of orchestral music (inc. Tallis, and Lark with Iona Brown).
Of the other cycles, Boult is best in the aggressive 4 and 6, and Handley surprises with deeply felt 3 and 5, but otherwise I find them rather stiff and underplaying the emotions. Thomson is generally thick and stodgy (sorry MI) but his 5 is good and I love his 8. Haitink seems highly rated by people who value sound over passion; nothing Wrong with it as such but he's just not as deeply in the music as the others. Davis is generally dismissed except for 6 - the sound is wonderfully dark but I don't find the actual performance exceptional.
Haven't heard Hickox; planning to get Slatkin.