“In the autumn of 1954, Ralph Vaughan Williams visited America to serve as a visiting professor at Cornell University, where he delivered the lectures that later became his book, The Making of Music. During this trip, he also conducted.” [RVW Society]
Edward Johnson writes…
All but one of the complete sets of Vaughan Williams’s nine symphonies have been recorded by British orchestras. The odd one out is the Melodiya set, with the USSR Ministry of Culture Symphony Orchestra conducted by Rozhdestvensky, which received a rave review from Rob Cowan in the Gramophone. However, various broadcasts of the work by American orchestras show that they too can bring something extra to RVW’s music and happily we get to hear on YouTube some splendid performances that won’t be heard by Radio 3 listeners! … Some comments from under the videos have been added.
For A Sea Symphony, Robert Spano’s Telarc recording breaks with the broadcast brief…
“A London Symphony” (revised version) …
Detroit Symphony Orchestra / Richard Hickox
Comment: “This performance is indescribably breathtaking.”
“A Pastoral Symphony” …
Philadelphia Orchestra / Eugene Ormandy
Comment: “This delicate, transparent, sensitive music gains meaning in Ormandy’s interpretation.”
Symphony No.4
Houston Symphony Orchestra / Andre Previn
Comment: “A really terrific performance. The brass playing is terrific. Previn always did this work well.”
Symphony No.5 …
Chicago Symphony Orchestra / Leonard Slatkin
Comment: “Slatkin is undoubtedly one of of the finest conductors in the world”
Symphony No. 6 …
San Francisco Symphony Orchestra / Roger Norrington
Comment: “What an honour to play this 20th Century masterpiece with such a fabulous orchestra. Just listening to it on RVW’s 150th birthday. One of the greatest men I ever met. Gratitude.” Comment from Roger Norrington himself.
“Sinfonia Antartica” …
American Symphony Orchestra / Ainslee Cox
Note: the ASO was formed by Stokowski in 1962 and Ainslee Cox was his Associate Conductor. In those days, Carnegie Hall didn’t have a traditional built-in pipe organ and instead, it used a high-end digital instrument. However, RVW’s score provides for the organ part, especially in the “Landscape” movement where it has a big solo, to be substituted by the brass and woodwind sections. Ainslee Cox opted for RVW’s alternative and that is what is heard in his performance.
Comment: “I think this is a fantastic version. Love the general pacing, clarity and luminosity of the performance. It’s superb.”
Symphony No. 8 …
Boston Symphony Orchestra / Charles Munch
Comment: “What a performance of a most underrated work by a great composer. And don’t the percussion have a ball in the Toccata!”
Symphony No. 9 … USA Premiere …
Contemporary Music Society Symphony Orchestra / Leopold Stokowski
Comment: “To date by far the best performance of Vaughan Williams’s 9th! Gosh!”
I hope Columnistas who love RVW’s music will find these performances of interest!
EdJ
