Vaughan Williams's Veranda

[Karl Henning]

It's a good point. But the score 'only' says sempre pp - the attempt to reach the almost inaudible that you rightly discern seems counterproductive. To my mind it should sound grey, flat and bleak, but should sound.

In the odd workings of the universe, the Sixth is the only Vaughan Williams symphony I've heard live in Symphony Hall. That ending was haunting in the best sense. 

[Elgarian Redux]

Such an interesting post! I knew about the VW/Raverat connection and her designs for 'Job'. In my case I discovered the Yorkshire Dales at about the same time that I discovered Vaughan Williams's music and, like you, I made a landscape/music connection in my mind. So the 6th Symphony is linked to the craggy Northern landscape, rather than to nuclear Armageddon, in my mind.

I only discovered the Raverat/RVW connection quite recently, and instantly all sorts of cross-links were set up in my mental processes.

My memories of the 6th are annoyingly trivial, sadly. We'd bought the Decca Eclipse LP of it in the early 1970s, and were crushed to discover that the quiet movement was less audible than the surface noise. So we took the record with us to a shop to find an affordable stereo player that would permit us to hear it, driving the sale assistant nuts in the process ('Why are you trying to listen to a track of total silence?). But back then we had little money and there was nothing we could afford that would enable us to listen to it, and I just gave up on it. When I was eventually able to hear it (years later, on good hifi), the music left me in such a mood of gloom and despair that I felt it was best left alone.

[vandermolen]

That would be a nice blast from the past, thanks!

Well, I can't lay my hands on it at the moment but from memory:

(posh old-fashioned elderly English gentleman's accent) 'I'd like to thank you and your conductor Sir Adrian Boult, most heartily, for your most wonderful experience of beautiful playing, especially in the finale 'Epilogue' of my 6th Symphony. In some places your playing was so clear that all my faults came to the surface - I hope that a few virtues have come out as well. It was a wonderful feat of endurance to play at absolute 'pianissimo' for six hours on end [on second thoughts he might have said three hours] and, mind you, it was not just a question of not playing loud but it was a positive, genuine pianissimo, full of meaning and tension. I want to thank you and your conductor (Boult) and when I say 'gentlemen' I include the lady harpist, for your most wonderful week. Thank you very much.'
This is a bit of a garbled version but it's more or less what he said!

[vandermolen]

I only discovered the Raverat/RVW connection quite recently, and instantly all sorts of cross-links were set up in my mental processes.

My memories of the 6th are annoyingly trivial, sadly. We'd bought the Decca Eclipse LP of it in the early 1970s, and were crushed to discover that the quiet movement was less audible than the surface noise. So we took the record with us to a shop to find an affordable stereo player that would permit us to hear it, driving the sale assistant nuts in the process ('Why are you trying to listen to a track of total silence?). But back then we had little money and there was nothing we could afford that would enable us to listen to it, and I just gave up on it. When I was eventually able to hear it (years later, on good hifi), the music left me in such a mood of gloom and despair that I felt it was best left alone.

Interesting! When I bought that fine old Decca Eclipse LP (from W H Smith in the Earl's Court Road) I initially thought that there was something wrong with the sound in the last movement as it was so cut back as to be almost inaudible but then the VW speech came booming over the loudspeakers!
Of course there is also Boult's tribute speech to VW on the day he died which features on the Everest recording of the 9th Symphony ('For our friends in America') - the Decca boxed set includes both speeches.

[ritter]

But I'm intrigued...who did RVW thank in that speech, Boult or Barbirolli? There seem to be conflicting versions...

[vandermolen]

But I'm intrigued...who did RVW thank in that speech, Boult or Barbirolli? There seem to be conflicting versions...

It was Boult and the members of the LPO (including the lady harpist) :-)

[ritter]

It was Boult and the members of the LPO (including the lady harpist) :-)

Thanks, Jeffrey!

[vandermolen]

Thanks, Jeffrey!

My pleasure 

[Luke]

Ah, so my memory was not faulty! That's a relief

[Luke]

This was the LP I remember, and the liner notes do indeed talk of the last movements bleak wasteland and its post-holocaust soundscape.

[vandermolen]

This was the LP I remember, and the liner notes do indeed talk of the last movements bleak wasteland and its post-holocaust soundscape.

Love the cover image - Blea Tarn, Lake Cumbria, England (it also features on the cover of Lloyd Jones's Naxos recording of the 6th Symphony). That LP probably had more effect on me than any other one (I was 16 at the time).

Those fine notes were from Gilbert Burnett. I always remember him describing the finale as 'an eerie progression through a bleak wasteland' - a kind of metaphor for my life 

[vandermolen]

Here's the famous Soviet set of the VW symphonies under Rozhdestvensky (the performance of the 9th Symphony highly rated in the recent Gramophone survey of recordings). In early pressings they spelt the composer's first name as 'Ralf' - he would, no doubt, have taken a dim view of this. 

[Roasted Swan]

Love the cover image - Blea Tarn, Lake Cumbria, England (it also features on the cover of Lloyd Jones's Naxos recording of the 6th Symphony). That LP probably had more effect on me than any other one (I was 16 at the time).

Those fine notes were from Gilbert Burnett. I always remember him describing the finale as 'an eerie progression through a bleak wasteland' - a kind of metaphor for my life 

Kees Bakels

[vandermolen]

Kees Bakels

My mistake - thanks.

[Kalevala]

There was a touch of snow up there a few days ago, and there was the odd shepherd watching his flocks (only by day, mind you). So I must look for my Christmas Fantasia CD ....

@LKB and Elgarian R.,  I (along with lots of help from a friend) put up my Christmas tree *yesterday.  As it was rather too dark in the living room by late afternoon, I held off putting on the lights and will tackle that soon. VW's Christmas music sounds like a good idea--at least 'til I haul out the vacuum cleaner!

*Normally, I wait 'til later in the month, but the tree is so fresh (cut yesterday) and I want to enjoy it longer! 

K

[Spotted Horses]

My memories of the 6th are annoyingly trivial, sadly. We'd bought the Decca Eclipse LP of it in the early 1970s, and were crushed to discover that the quiet movement was less audible than the surface noise. So we took the record with us to a shop to find an affordable stereo player that would permit us to hear it, driving the sale assistant nuts in the process ('Why are you trying to listen to a track of total silence?). But back then we had little money and there was nothing we could afford that would enable us to listen to it, and I just gave up on it. When I was eventually able to hear it (years later, on good hifi), the music left me in such a mood of gloom and despair that I felt it was best left alone.

Hah, that's my audio experience, minus the trip to the record shop. Maybe the master tape, minus LP surface noise would be audible, that's my hope.

I recall at one point listening to a recording in which the finale wasn't so quiet and thinking, okay, at least I can hear it this time. I don't recall which one, maybe I can find a mention in my listening notes.

[vandermolen]

Hah, that's my audio experience, minus the trip to the record shop. Maybe the master tape, minus LP surface noise would be audible, that's my hope.

I recall at one point listening to a recording in which the finale wasn't so quiet and thinking, okay, at least I can hear it this time. I don't recall which one, maybe I can find a mention in my listening notes.

I think that they are all sound much louder than Boult's LPO account.

[vandermolen]

@LKB and Elgarian R.,  I (along with lots of help from a friend) put up my Christmas tree *yesterday.  As it was rather too dark in the living room by late afternoon, I held off putting on the lights and will tackle that soon. VW's Christmas music sounds like a good idea--at least 'til I haul out the vacuum cleaner!

*Normally, I wait 'til later in the month, but the tree is so fresh (cut yesterday) and I want to enjoy it longer! 

K

So, you live in a community of GMG Forum members? 

[Karl Henning]

'an eerie progression through a bleak wasteland' - a kind of metaphor for my life 

I shouldn't put it so to Mrs vandermolen!  😇

[Kalevala]

So, you live in a community of GMG Forum members? 

Confused here as to what you meant Jeffrey?

Lights are strung up, but I am strung out; for some reason or another, I had bought one 50 strand of LED lights last year (along with two packs of 100's).  I normally start from the base of the tree and was trying to keep the lights close to each other; well, you can guess what happened by the time that I got to the 50 strand!  Did my best to adjust it without totally redoing it.  Might try and buy more lights at the store (if they're not sold out), but didn't feel like doing it today.  Sigh.... That or just hope that by the time that I get my ornaments on the tree, my Pollockesque work will be mostly hidden. 

K