Vaughan Williams: The 9 Symphonies [Box Set] [Box set]

On this CD:

1. Symphony No. 1 for soprano, baritone, chorus, & orchestra ("A Sea Symphony") I A Song for All Seas All Ships
Composed by Ralph Vaughan Williams
Performed by Philharmonia Chorus and Orchestra with Benita Valente, Sir Thomas [baritone] Allen
Conducted by Leonard Slatkin

2. Symphony No. 1 for soprano, baritone, chorus, & orchestra ("A Sea Symphony") I. A Song for All Seas, All Ships-An
Composed by Ralph Vaughan Williams
Performed by Philharmonia Chorus and Orchestra with Benita Valente, Sir Thomas [baritone] Allen
Conducted by Leonard Slatkin

3. Symphony No. 1 for soprano, baritone, chorus, & orchestra ("A Sea Symphony") II. On the Beach at Night
Composed by Ralph Vaughan Williams
Performed by Philharmonia Chorus and Orchestra with Benita Valente, Sir Thomas [baritone] Allen
Conducted by Leonard Slatkin

4. Symphony No. 1 for soprano, baritone, chorus, & orchestra ("A Sea Symphony") II. On the Beach at Night, Alone-Lar
Composed by Ralph Vaughan Williams
Performed by Philharmonia Chorus and Orchestra with Benita Valente, Sir Thomas [baritone] Allen
Conducted by Leonard Slatkin

5. Symphony No. 1 for soprano, baritone, chorus, & orchestra ("A Sea Symphony") III. Scherzo: The Waves
Composed by Ralph Vaughan Williams
Performed by Philharmonia Chorus and Orchestra with Benita Valente, Sir Thomas [baritone] Allen
Conducted by Leonard Slatkin

6. Symphony No. 1 for soprano, baritone, chorus, & orchestra ("A Sea Symphony") III. Scherzo: The Waves-Allegro Bril
Composed by Ralph Vaughan Williams
Performed by Philharmonia Chorus and Orchestra with Benita Valente, Sir Thomas [baritone] Allen
Conducted by Leonard Slatkin

7. Symphony No. 1 for soprano, baritone, chorus, & orchestra ("A Sea Symphony") IV. The Explorer's Grave
Composed by Ralph Vaughan Williams
Performed by Philharmonia Chorus and Orchestra with Benita Valente, Sir Thomas [baritone] Allen
Conducted by Leonard Slatkin

8. Symphony No. 1 for soprano, baritone, chorus, & orchestra ("A Sea Symphony") IV. The Explorers-Grave E Molto Adag
Composed by Ralph Vaughan Williams
Performed by Philharmonia Chorus and Orchestra with Benita Valente, Sir Thomas [baritone] Allen
Conducted by Leonard Slatkin

9. Norfolk Rhapsody for orchestra No. 1 in E minor
Composed by Ralph Vaughan Williams
Performed by London Philharmonia Orchestra with John Chambers
Conducted by Leonard Slatkin

10. Norfolk Rhapsody for orchestra No. 1 in E minor
Composed by Ralph Vaughan Williams
Performed by London Philharmonia Orchestra with John Chambers
Conducted by Leonard Slatkin

11. Fantasia on a Theme by Thomas Tallis, for 2 string orchestras
Composed by Ralph Vaughan Williams
Performed by London Philharmonia Orchestra with John Chambers, Matthias Feile, Nicholas Whiting
Conducted by Hugh Bean, Leonard Slatkin

12. Fantasia on a Theme by Thomas Tallis, for 2 string orchestras
Composed by Ralph Vaughan Williams
Performed by London Philharmonia Orchestra with John Chambers, Matthias Feile, Nicholas Whiting
Conducted by Hugh Bean, Leonard Slatkin

13. Symphony No. 2 in G major ("A London Symphony")
Composed by Ralph Vaughan Williams
Performed by London Philharmonia Orchestra with John Chambers, Jane Marshall
Conducted by Leonard Slatkin

14. Symphony No. 2 in G major ("A London Symphony")
Composed by Ralph Vaughan Williams
Performed by London Philharmonia Orchestra with John Chambers, Jane Marshall
Conducted by Leonard Slatkin

15. Fantasia on Greensleeves, for harp, flute, & strings (arranged by R. Greaves; from the opera Sir John In Love)
Composed by Ralph Vaughan Williams
Performed by London Philharmonia Orchestra
Conducted by Leonard Slatkin

16. Fantasia on Greensleeves, for harp, flute, & strings (arranged by R. Greaves; from the opera Sir John In Love)
Composed by Ralph Vaughan Williams
Performed by London Philharmonia Orchestra
Conducted by Leonard Slatkin

17. Symphony No. 3 for soprano or tenor & orchestra ("Pastoral")
Composed by Ralph Vaughan Williams
Performed by London Philharmonia Orchestra with Nigel Black, John Chambers, Mark David, Linda Hohenfeld, Jane Marshall
Conducted by Hugh Bean, Leonard Slatkin

18. Symphony No. 3 for soprano or tenor & orchestra ("Pastoral")
Composed by Ralph Vaughan Williams
Performed by London Philharmonia Orchestra with Nigel Black, John Chambers, Mark David, Linda Hohenfeld, Jane Marshall
Conducted by Hugh Bean, Leonard Slatkin

19. Symphony No. 4 in F minor
Composed by Ralph Vaughan Williams
Performed by London Philharmonia Orchestra
Conducted by Leonard Slatkin

20. Symphony No. 4 in F minor
Composed by Ralph Vaughan Williams
Performed by London Philharmonia Orchestra
Conducted by Leonard Slatkin

21. Symphony No. 5 in D major
Composed by Ralph Vaughan Williams
Performed by London Philharmonia Orchestra
Conducted by Leonard Slatkin

22. Symphony No. 5 in D major
Composed by Ralph Vaughan Williams
Performed by London Philharmonia Orchestra
Conducted by Leonard Slatkin

23. Symphony No. 6 in E minor
Composed by Ralph Vaughan Williams
Performed by London Philharmonia Orchestra
Conducted by Leonard Slatkin

24. Symphony No. 6 in E minor
Composed by Ralph Vaughan Williams
Performed by London Philharmonia Orchestra
Conducted by Leonard Slatkin

25. Sea Songs, march for military or brass band
Composed by Ralph Vaughan Williams
Performed by London Philharmonia Orchestra
Conducted by Leonard Slatkin

26. Sea Songs, march for military or brass band
Composed by Ralph Vaughan Williams
Performed by London Philharmonia Orchestra
Conducted by Leonard Slatkin

27. Variants (5) of 'Dives and Lazarus' for string orchestra & harp (or harps)
Composed by Ralph Vaughan Williams
Performed by London Philharmonia Orchestra
Conducted by Leonard Slatkin

28. Variants (5) of 'Dives and Lazarus' for string orchestra & harp (or harps)
Composed by Ralph Vaughan Williams
Performed by London Philharmonia Orchestra
Conducted by Leonard Slatkin

29. Symphony No. 7 for soprano, small female chorus, & orchestra with narrator ad lib ("Sinfonia Antartica") Prelude
Composed by Ralph Vaughan Williams
Performed by London Philharmonia Orchestra
Conducted by Leonard Slatkin

30. Symphony No. 7 for soprano, small female chorus, & orchestra with narrator ad lib ("Sinfonia Antartica") Prelude
Composed by Ralph Vaughan Williams
Performed by London Philharmonia Orchestra
Conducted by Leonard Slatkin

31. Symphony No. 7 for soprano, small female chorus, & orchestra with narrator ad lib ("Sinfonia Antartica") Scherzo
Composed by Ralph Vaughan Williams
Performed by London Philharmonia Orchestra
Conducted by Leonard Slatkin

32. Symphony No. 7 for soprano, small female chorus, & orchestra with narrator ad lib ("Sinfonia Antartica") Scherzo
Composed by Ralph Vaughan Williams
Performed by London Philharmonia Orchestra
Conducted by Leonard Slatkin

33. Symphony No. 7 for soprano, small female chorus, & orchestra with narrator ad lib ("Sinfonia Antartica") Landscape
Composed by Ralph Vaughan Williams
Performed by London Philharmonia Orchestra with Leslie Pearson
Conducted by Leonard Slatkin

34. Symphony No. 7 for soprano, small female chorus, & orchestra with narrator ad lib ("Sinfonia Antartica") Landscape
Composed by Ralph Vaughan Williams
Performed by London Philharmonia Orchestra with Leslie Pearson
Conducted by Leonard Slatkin

35. Symphony No. 7 for soprano, small female chorus, & orchestra with narrator ad lib ("Sinfonia Antartica") Intermezzo
Composed by Ralph Vaughan Williams
Performed by London Philharmonia Orchestra with John Anderson
Conducted by Leonard Slatkin

36. Symphony No. 7 for soprano, small female chorus, & orchestra with narrator ad lib ("Sinfonia Antartica") Intermezzo
Composed by Ralph Vaughan Williams
Performed by London Philharmonia Orchestra with John Anderson
Conducted by Leonard Slatkin

37. Symphony No. 7 for soprano, small female chorus, & orchestra with narrator ad lib ("Sinfonia Antartica") Epilogue
Composed by Ralph Vaughan Williams
Performed by London Philharmonia Orchestra with Linda Hohenfeld
Conducted by Leonard Slatkin

38. Symphony No. 7 for soprano, small female chorus, & orchestra with narrator ad lib ("Sinfonia Antartica") Epilogue
Composed by Ralph Vaughan Williams
Performed by London Philharmonia Orchestra with Linda Hohenfeld
Conducted by Leonard Slatkin

39. Flourish for Glorious John (Barbirolli), for orchestra
Composed by Ralph Vaughan Williams
Performed by London Philharmonia Orchestra
Conducted by Leonard Slatkin

40. Flourish for Glorious John (Barbirolli), for orchestra
Composed by Ralph Vaughan Williams
Performed by London Philharmonia Orchestra
Conducted by Leonard Slatkin

41. Symphony No. 8 in D minor
Composed by Ralph Vaughan Williams
Performed by London Philharmonia Orchestra with David K. Jones
Conducted by Hugh Bean, Leonard Slatkin

42. Symphony No. 8 in D minor
Composed by Ralph Vaughan Williams
Performed by London Philharmonia Orchestra with David K. Jones
Conducted by Hugh Bean, Leonard Slatkin

43. Symphony No. 9 in E minor
Composed by Ralph Vaughan Williams
Performed by London Philharmonia Orchestra with David Mason
Conducted by Leonard Slatkin

44. Symphony No. 9 in E minor
Composed by Ralph Vaughan Williams
Performed by London Philharmonia Orchestra with David Mason
Conducted by Leonard Slatkin

Tracks:

I: A Song For All Seas, All Ships: Behold, The Sea Itself - Jonathan Summers
I: A Song For All Seas, All Ships: Today A Rude Brief Recitative - Jonathan Summers
I: A Song For All Seas, All Ships: Flaunt Out, O Sea, Your Seperate Flags Of Nations! - Jonathan Summers
I: A Song For All Seas, All Ships: Token Of All Brave Captains - Jonathan Summers
I: A Song For All Seas, All Ships: A Pennant Universal - Jonathan Summers
II: On The Beach At Night, Alone: On The Beach At Night, Alone - Jonathan Summers
II: On The Beach At Night, Alone: A Vast Similitude Interlocks All - Jonathan Summers
III: Scherzo: The Waves - Jonathan Summers
IV: The Explorers (Grave E Molto Adagio - Andante Co Moto): O Vast Rondure, Swimming In Space - Jonathan Summers
IV: The Explorers (Grave E Molto Adagio - Andante Co Moto): Down From The Gardens Of Asia Descending - Jonathan Summers
IV: The Explorers (Grave E Molto Adagio - Andante Co Moto): O We Can Wait No Longer - Jonathan Summers
IV: The Explorers (Grave E Molto Adagio - Andante Co Moto): O Thou Transcendent - Jonathan Summers
IV: The Explorers (Grave E Molto Adagio - Andante Co Moto): Greater Than Stars Or Suns - Jonathan Summers
IV: The Explorers (Grave E Molto Adagio - Andante Co Moto): Sail Forth - Jonathan Summers
IV: The Explorers (Grave E Molto Adagio - Andante Co Moto): O My Brave Soul! - Jonathan Summers

Tracks:

I. Lento - Allegro Risoluto - London Philharmonic Orchestra
II. Lento - London Philharmonic Orchestra
III. Scherzo (Nocturne): Allegro Vivace - London Philharmonic Orchestra
IV. Andante Con Moto - Maestoso Alla Marcia (Quasi Lento) - Allegro - London Philharmonic Orchestra
Fantasia On A Theme - London Philharmonic Orchestra

Tracks:

I: Molto Moderato - Amanda Roocroft
II: Lento Moderato - London Philharmonic Orchestra
II: Moderato Pesante - Presto - London Philharmonic Orchestra
IV: Lento - Moderato Maestoso - London Philharmonic Orchestra
I: Allegro - London Philharmonic Orchestra
II: Andante Moderato - London Philharmonic Orchestra
III: Scherzo: Allegro Molto - London Philharmonic Orchestra
IV: Finale Con Epilogo Fugato: Allegro Molto - London Philharmonic Orchestra

Tracks:

I: Preludio: Moderato - Sarah Chang
II: Scherzo: Presto - Sarah Chang
III: Romanza: Lento - Sarah Chang
IV: Passacaglia: Moderato - Sarah Chang
Norfolk Rhapsody No.1 - Sarah Chang
Romance For Violin And Orchestra - Sarah Chang

Tracks:

I: Allegro - Ian Bostridge
II: Moderato - Ian Bostridge
III: Scherzo: Allegro Vivace - Ian Bostridge
IV: Epilouge: Moderato - Ian Bostridge
In The Fen Country - Ian Bostridge
I: On The Wenlock Edge - Ian Bostridge
II: From Far, From Eve And Morning - Ian Bostridge
III: Is My Team Ploughing? - Ian Bostridge
IV: Oh, When I Was In Love With You - Ian Bostridge
V: Bredon Hill - Ian Bostridge
VI: Clun - Ian Bostridge

Tracks:

I: Prelude: Maestoso - London Philharmonic Choir
II: Scherzo: Moderato - London Philharmonic Choir
III: Landscape: Lento - London Philharmonic Choir
IV: Intermezzo: Andante Sostenuto - London Philharmonic Choir
V: Epilogue: Alla Marcia, Moderato (Non Troppo Allegro) - London Philharmonic Choir

Tracks:

I: Fantasia: Moderato - Presto - Andante Sostenuto - Allegretto - Andante Non Troppo - Allegro Vivace - Andante Sostenuto - Tempo I, Ma Tranquillo - London Philharmonic Orchestra
II: Scherzo Alla Marcia: Allegro Alla Marcia - Andante - Tempo I (Allegro) - London Philharmonic Orchestra
III: Cavatina: Lento Espressivo - London Philharmonic Orchestra
IV: Toccata: Moderato Maestoso - London Philharmonic Orchestra
I: Moderato Maestoso - London Philharmonic Orchestra
II: Andante Sostenuto - London Philharmonic Orchestra
III: Scherzo: Allegro Pesante - London Philharmonic Orchestra
IV: Andante Tranquillo - London Philharmonic Orchestra

Customer Reviews:

VW Can't miss.......2007-04-01

It would take a lot of effort to make these works anything but wonderful to my ( untrained) ear. I have other versions of Symphonies 3 & 5, Tallis, and Lark, but am not that familiar with the rest. I bought the CD set just to hear them. VW's music goes straight to my soul, perhaps because I was born about 40 km ( 25 miles ) from the composer. These works evoke instant nostalgia. Haintink, the orchestra , soloists, sound fine. I particularly enjoyed Ian Bostridge.

Vaughan Williams the Great European Symphonist.......2004-12-15

2004 Has been a good year for Box Sets of Vaughan Williams Symphonies. Best of the bunch is this one from EMI with Bernard Haitink conducting the London Philharmonic Orchestra. Do not be put off by the lengthy gestation of the project, over 16 years between 1984 and 2000, there is a consistency of interpretation, performance and sound.

Haitink's first recording in the set of the 7th Symphony, the Sinfonia Antarctica is his manifesto. He takes Vaughan Williams out of the cosy world of 20th century British music and the interpretive shadow cast by Adrian Boult and places him in an ongoing tradition of European symphonists. Haitink revels in the richness of the symphony's sound worlds and in the romantic heart which he finds in them all. These are rich, big boned interpretations. Nowhere more so than in this 7th Symphony, from the episodic feast of the first movement onwards, and there is surely no recording with a more appropriate acoustic.

The First in the cycle , `A Sea Symphony" is startling, as conductor, orchestra and singers burn a new way to the heart of this huge work with a searingly intense first movement.

The Second, A London Symphony has many fine recordings. Here the louder passages are brash, boisterous and thoroughly urban. Vaughan Williams loved city life and would surely have approved.

The Third, A Pastoral Symphony is one of the most striking reinterpretations here, and perhaps the hardest to take for traditionalists. Boult's mystical manipulation of blocks of chords with solo instruments floating above them is replaced with lyrical argument.

The furies at the heart of the Fourth Symphony are set free to great effect, as they are in the Sixth Symphony. Haitink excels in the demonic dance music in both symphonies and the jazz elements in the Sixth are enthusiastically articulated

If the interpretation of the Pastoral Symphony is striking, that of the 8th is a complete transformation, and one that convinces. No longer is this a small symphony, here it is the considerable utterance of a master.

The Fifth symphony is its radiant self, but the questions that also inhabit the score are welcomed, giving this performance light and shade.

The Ninth Symphony, sometimes considered a difficult work sounds like a natural summation of Vaughan Williams musical journey. It is a suitable epitaph, autumnal but radiating vigour.

There are a number of filler works here, like the Symphonies some are radical reinterpretations. I am not convinced by this Variations on a Theme of Thomas Tallis. In The Lark Ascending the programme is forgotten and it becomes a one movement concerto with a continuous violin line.

Haitink's interpretations are not for everyone. If you want modern a modern equivalent of Boult with good digital sound choose the Vernon Handley Set on Classics For Pleasure. That also has the benefit of a more generous selection of extra works. If you want to hear exciting modern performances in exemplary sound snap up this bargain box.

Vaughan Williams: Symphonies 1-9 / Boult

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Best of Boult's Vaughan Williams
Vaughan Williams his way

Vaughan Williams: Symphonies 1-9 / Boult
Ralph Vaughan Williams , and Sir Adrian Boult
Manufacturer: Decca
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

General | Symphonies | Classical | Styles | Music

General | Classical | Styles | Music

The Decca Records Store | Specialty Stores | Music
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Tchaikovsky: Symphonies Nos. 1-6
Vaughan Williams: A Sea Symphony

ASIN: B00007A3E2
Release Date: 2004-04-13

Customer Reviews:

Best of Boult's Vaughan Williams.......2004-08-01

When I first encountered VW's symphonies in Boult's EMI stereo series, I enjoyed some of the performances (especially #2), but 3, 5 and 9 left me bored. I later heard the Previn series and found what was missing. Previn keeps a taut line through music that can easily sprawl, and his recorded sound is top-notch. This new Boult set has similar interpretive virtues and is far more interesting musically than the stereo recordings. While the strings in #2 are thin and #1 is boxy overall, the mono sound of 3-7 is generally good. Comparison between the mono 3 and 5 and the stereo versions just highlights the greater atmosphere and intensity of the mono performances. 2 and 4 are also exemplary interpretations. While I would not recommend this to the exclusion of other recordings, it is a wonderful supplement to the performances of Previn or Handley.

Vaughan Williams his way.......2004-06-27

The first few years I was married, my wife often said to me she felt like she was trying to "make you something you're not". She was insinuating that she had a vision of what the perfect man ought to be, and she would catch herself trying to make me that man. She reformed after a year or two and since has been more than content to let me be the man I am.

And that best describes what I feel about Sir Adrian Boult conducting Vaughan Williams in this collection. He lets the music speak for itself. He never tries to give particular emphasis to some element in the score as many conductors do. These recordings date from the 1950s, all but the 8th and 9th being mono. But the age of the recordings and the mono sound in no way detracts from the listening pleasure they bring. I put them alongside any of the competiton and these recordings hold their own or come out far ahead. I've compared them to three other complete cycles:

Boult/EMI - Amazon asin # B00004YA0V (8 CDs)
Handley/CFP - Amazon asin # B00006J3LP (7 CDs)
Previn/RCA - Amazon asin # B00011MK74 (6 CDs)

Compared to his own later readings on EMI, I find Boult gets a more restrained performance from the orchestra in these earlier Decca recordings, thus heightening the effect of letting the music speak for itself. And I find the Decca recording a little bit brighter and more well balanced. A good symphony to highlight this effect is the Sea Symphony. The choir in the EMI recording tries to hard to make the music sound good, where the choir in the Decca sounds relaxed, confident, unstrained. And the sound on the Decca is more open, less opaque than the EMI.

The Previn cycle is quite good throughout, and features several additional pieces, some of them rare in recordings (this Decca cycle occupies the fewest number of disks of the 4 cycles, 5, but only has the symphonies, nothing more). The obvious comparison with the Previn cycle is the Sinfonia Antartica, no. 7. Only Previn and this Decca recording include the narrative. Sir Ralph Richardson in the Previn is very dramatic and expressive, embellishing the text with much emotion. Sir John Gielgud on this Decca recording is by comparison quite unemotional; like Boult, he speaks eloquently enough to not seem monotonish, but lets the words do the talking, not his interpretation of the words. He makes a good fit for Boult's similar reading of the music. And Richardson makes a similarly good fit for Previn's more dramatic reading. I am quite fond of Previn's recording, but after I listen to the magnificent Boult reading here, I find myself appreciating Previn less, for he emphasizes one emotional element in the music at the cost of all others. The Decca was recorded 1952, but even today it is of demonstration quality, especially with the stunning organ in the ice fall scene. Try as hard as they may, no other recording has come close to this one, engineered by the famous John Culshaw.

Which brings me to the Handley recordings. Handley, incidentally, fully admitted he tried to capture the organ scene in Sinfonia Antartica as well the Boult/Culshaw recording, but couldn't quite pull it off. The 5th symphonty is for me the highlight of Handley's set. Handley's recording is a masterpiece both of musical interpretation and audio engineering. This Boult recording comes the closest I've heard to the Handly interpretively, perhaps even edging it out a little once again because of Boult's refusal to indulge in over expressiveness. The sound on the Handley has a littel bit of an edge, but not by much. The sound int eh Boult/Decca recording is nowhere near as lively and opulent as the Handley, but once again is far brighter and more open than the Boult/EMI.

Decca has pulled off one of the best engineering jobs with these remasterings. I found the sound to be excellent throughout. The Sea Symphony, Sinfonia Antartica, and Symphony No 9 in this set are not be missed by any Vaughan Williams fan.

So, does this get my top choice recommendation?

Maybe.

If it's going to be your only Vaughan Williams collection, I would recommend either the Previn or the Handley instead, for with those sets you get other pieces in addition to the symphonies, and thus a better representation of Vaughan Williams artistry. Boult's EMI set is the most comprehensive collection of works, and the readings of the symphonies are somewhat comparable to the Decca set, but the execution is nowhere close to the masterly execution in the Decca set, and thus diminishes its attractiveness.

Tracks:

A Sea Symphony
A London Symphony
Symphony No. 8 In D Minor
English Folk Song Suite
A Pastoral Symphony
Symphony No. 4 In F Minor
Flos Campi
Oboe Concerto In A Minor
Symphony No. 5 In D
Symphony No. 6 In E Minor
Symphony No. 9 In E Minor
Fantasia On "Greensleeves"
Serenade To Music
Partita For Double String Orchestra
Sinfonia Antartica
Fantasia On A Theme By Thomas Tallis
Five Variants Of Dives And Lazarus
Job - A Masque For Dancing

Customer Reviews:

RESTORES ONE'S FAITH IN HONEST MUSIC MAKING.......2007-03-29

Thank God for Tod Handley. I vividly recall a year or two back, feeling particularly jaundiced after a succession of glitzy, superficial concerts by conductors far starrier and younger, having my faith in real music making restored by a Handley concert which included a scintillating Schubert Little C Major and a profoundly moving VW Sea Symphony.

That work, of course, is the springboard for this cycle of complete VW symphonies. And a very satisfying journey through this inspiring canon of nine it is, too. Handley's affinity with English music needs no reiterating, but his relationship with Vaughan Williams in particular is a special one. More than most, he is alive to the changing and developing nature of the different symphonies through Vaughan Williams life - from the rich Romantic panoply of the 1st, taking in the influence of study with Ravel in the 3rd, the violence of Nos.4 & 6 and the idealisation of his Pilgrim music as well as that of his beloved Tudor composers in the Fifth, right through to the exploration of new sonorities and form in 7, 8 and 9. Throughout the cycle, this is music making that is honest, perceptive, communicative and frequently illuminating and inspiring.

Handley's Sea Symphony has terrific sweep in the opening movement, ideal rhythmic crispness in the scherzo and real depth in the long, questing Finale. Its one drawback is perhaps the somewhat cramped acoustics of Liverpool's Philharmonic Hall compared to, say, the fuller sound of the Kingsway Hall in Boult's second recording. His London Symphony is as fine as any, though I do now miss the passages opened out in Hickox's recording of the Original Version.

I'm inclined to think this the best Pastoral of any on disc: it finds Handley very sensitive to all the overtones of VW's experiences of the Great War that lie behind its overt pastoralism - Flanders Fields as much as English ones. This is followed by a stunning Fourth, matched only by the composer's own performance. The grinding dissonances of its motto motif, the bounce of the jazzier rhythms, the dark Beethovenian transition to the Finale are all perfectly realised: "I don't know if I like it, but it's what I meant" in VW's famous phrase and I feel sure Handley's performance is just what he meant.

The Fifth finds fierce competition from Boult (twice), Barbirolli (twice) and Haitink (most purely symphonic of all). But Handley strikes a fine balance between the Pilgrim's Progress antecedents of much of the material and the `absolute music' arguments to which it is subjected. This disc is almost worth it for the glorious horn counterpoint at the climax of the first movement alone, picked out by Handley as by no other conductor in my experience. His Sixth is another blistering reading to set beside that of his mentor, Boult, in mono for Decca. Handley's pp final movement here is too mystical to be mistaken for the post-nuclear landscape it's often compared to - it seems closer to VW's great friend, Holst's, Neptune. Pacing and colour are the strengths of this Antarctica, but only Haitink really succeeds in making it sound truly symphonic. And No.8 was always the domain of its dedicatee, `Glorious John' Barbirolli, who seemed to have the secret of its somewhat obtuse Variations without a Theme opening movement, its Bartokian Strings only and Wind only inner movements and the clangour of its Finale with `all the phones and spiels know to the composer'. However the elusive 9th is one of the best of Handley's set. He really seems to understand its deep, dark, Hardyesque mysteries, grounded as those novels seem to be in the very earth and land of England, as well as its further explorations of intriguing sonorities with the use of flugelhorn and saxophones.

The fill-ups from the original discs are here as well, including a fine Job and a superb Flos campi, another elusive work that seems to speak of secrets that are not to be found in the VW biographies. These are all considerable performances that reflect Handley's long-standing empathy with and authority in this music. And all at a bargain price.

Excellence throughout.......2004-10-16

On balance, this is probably the best set of Vaughan Williams symphonies out there today. Vernon Handley was a protege of Adrian Boult and you can hear a likeness in the way the two approach the music of their countryman. Boult may have had an advantage, being alive at a time Vaughan Williams was composing and premiering a number of the symphonies after they were composed.

The passage of time has left us two outstanding sets of Vaughan Williams symphonies by Boult, including a latter stereo version. I have heard both sets and they are wonderful. I prefer this one, however. Handley does things with some of the lesser played Vaughan Williams scores that, I believe, gives him an edge as the best of today's interpreters.

His version of the "Sea" Symphony No. 1 -- which is not a favorite of mine -- stacks up with anything out there. It avoids the bombastic approach taken by some conductors that do not completely understand the music or Vaughan Williams style. Even the new Atlanta Symphony version of the "Sea" Symphony does not exceed the vigor, loveliness and fine singing on parade under Handley's baton.

Handley also does wonderful things with the lesser known Symphonies 8 and 9, which some critics went wow over when Bernard Haitink recorded them together on one CD a few years back. Personally, I never heard the message of the dramatic 8th Symphony until I listened to this set.

Handley is hardly at a loss in the more well-known symphonies, either. His renditions of the "London" Symphony 2, "Pastoral" Sympony 3, Symphony 4 and "Antarctica" Symphony 7 are up with the best versions ever recorded. Handley's version is the first time I ever heard the chimes of Big Ben in the "London" symphony. His trip to Antarctica in Symphony 7 is probably the best one out there today and rivals the famous mono version Boult did 50 years ago, less the spoken tracts at the beginning and between sections.

Handley is equally fine in Vaughan Williams two violent symphonies, Nos. 4 and 6. In Symphony 4, he is especially visionary, understanding that the composer was not really writing about the impending world war when he penned the symphony in the late 1930s. Vaughan Williams said it was more about human interaction and communication and you hear this from Handley, who eschews much of the needless violence other conductors put into the score.

It is only the Symphony No. 5 where I find a clear preference to versions by Andre Previn in either of his stereo versions. Previn's 1988 Telarc recording also includes "Fantasia on a Theme by Thomas Tallis", perhaps Vaughan Williams' best-known melody. This is preferable to Handley's Symphony 5 diskmate, the "Flos Campi" Suite, which provides another moment for the Liverpool Philharmonic Choir to shine. Previn endows the wonderful symphony with more romance and emotion than Handley.

That's not to say Handley's recording is a dog. Hardly! His is an exquisite recording of some of the world's most beautiful music. It lacks little and competes with the best out there. All told, this is a five star set with beautiful and, when appropriate, powerful and visceral playing from the Royal Liverpool Philharmonic Orchestra.

There are other fine Vaughan Williams set extant -- both Boult sets, the exceptionally well-recorded Thomson on Chandos, various recordings by Previn & Hickox and those by Bakels on Naxos -- but no complete set quite captures Ralph Vaughan Williams as three dimensionally as this one. My only complaint is Classics for Pleasure could have mated Handley's equally brilliant version of "Job: A Masque for Dancing" with one of the shorter symphonies and did not.

Vaughan Williams: The 9 Symphonies [Box Set]

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Vaughan Williams: The 9 Symphonies [Box Set]

Manufacturer: RCA
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

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ASIN: B000003FDR
Release Date: 1993-11-09

Tracks:

A Sea Sym (No.1): I. A Song For All Seas, All Ships-Andante Maestoso: Behold, The Sea Itself - Benita Valente/Thomas Allen/Philharmonia Chor/Leonard Slatkin
A Sea Sym (No.1): I. A Song For All Seas, All Ships-Andante Maestoso: Today A Rude Brief Recitative - Benita Valente/Thomas Allen/Philharmonia Chor/Leonard Slatkin
A Sea Sym (No.1): I. A Song For All Seas, All Ships-Andante Maestoso: Flaunt Out, O Sea - Benita Valente/Thomas Allen/Philharmonia Chor/Leonard Slatkin
A Sea Sym (No.1): I. A Song For All Seas, All Ships-Andante Maestoso: Token Of All Brave Captains - Benita Valente/Thomas Allen/Philharmonia Chor/Leonard Slatkin
A Sea Sym (No.1): I. A Song For All Seas, All Ships-Andante Maestoso: A Pennant Universal - Benita Valente/Thomas Allen/Philharmonia Chor/Leonard Slatkin
A Sea Sym (No.1): II. On The Beach At Night, Alone-Largo Sostenuto: On The Beach At Night, Alone - Benita Valente/Thomas Allen/Philharmonia Chor/Leonard Slatkin
A Sea Sym (No.1): II. On The Beach At Night, Alone-Largo Sostenuto: A Vast Similitude Interlocks All - Benita Valente/Thomas Allen/Philharmonia Chor/Leonard Slatkin
A Sea Sym (No.1): III. Scherzo: The Waves-Allegro Brillante - Benita Valente/Thomas Allen/Philharmonia Chor/Leonard Slatkin
A Sea Sym (No.1): IV. The Explorers-Grave E Molto Adagio: O Vast Rondure, Swimming In Space - Benita Valente/Thomas Allen/Philharmonia Chor/Leonard Slatkin
A Sea Sym (No.1): IV. The Explorers-Grave E Molto Adagio: Down From The Gardens Of Asia Descending - Benita Valente/Thomas Allen/Philharmonia Chor/Leonard Slatkin
A Sea Sym (No.1): IV. The Explorers-Grave E Molto Adagio: O We Can Wait No Longer - Benita Valente/Thomas Allen/Philharmonia Chor/Leonard Slatkin
A Sea Sym (No.1): IV. The Explorers-Grave E Molto Adagio: O Thou Transcendent - Benita Valente/Thomas Allen/Philharmonia Chor/Leonard Slatkin
A Sea Sym (No.1): IV. The Explorers-Grave E Molto Adagio: Greater Than Stars Or Suns - Benita Valente/Thomas Allen/Philharmonia Chor/Leonard Slatkin
A Sea Sym (No.1): IV. The Explorers-Grave E Molto Adagio: Sail Forth, Steer For The Deep Waters Only - Benita Valente/Thomas Allen/Philharmonia Chor/Leonard Slatkin
A Sea Sym (No.1): IV. The Explorers-Grave E Molto Adagio: O My Brave Soul! - Benita Valente/Thomas Allen/Philharmonia Chor/Leonard Slatkin

Tracks:

Norfolk Rhap No.1 - John Chambers
Fant On A Theme By Thomas Tallis - Hugh Bean/Nicholas Whiting/John Chambers/Matthias Feile
A London Sym (No.2): Lento/Allegro Risoluto - Philharmonia Orch/Leonard Slatkin
A London Sym (No.2): Lento - John Chambers/Jane Marshall
A London Sym (No.2): Scherzo (Nocturne): Allegro Vivace - Philharmonia Orch/Leonard Slatkin
A London Sym (No.2): Andante Con Moto/Maestoso Alla Marcia (Quasi Lento)/Allegro/Lento/Epilogue... - Philharmonia Orch/Leonard Slatkin

Tracks:

Fant On Greensleeves - Philharmonia Orch/Leonard Slatkin
A Pastoral Sym (No.3): Molto Moderato - Linda Hohenfeld/Hugh Bean/John Chambers/Jane Marshall
A Pastoral Sym (No.3): Lento Moderato - Linda Hohenfeld/Mark David/Nigel Black
A Pastoral Sym (No.3): Moderato Pesante/Presto - Linda Hohenfeld
A Pastoral Sym (No.3):Lento: Moderato Maestoso - Linda Hohenfeld
Sym No.4 in f: Allegro - Philharmonia Orch/Leonard Slatkin
Sym No.4 in f: Andante Moderato - Kenneth Smith
Sym No.4 in f: Scherzo: Allegro Molto - Philharmonia Orch/Leonard Slatkin
Sym No.4 in f: Finale Con Epilogo Fugato: Allegro Molto - Philharmonia Orch/Leonard Slatkin

Tracks:

Sym No.5 in D: Prld: Moderato - Philharmonia Orch/Leonard Slatkin
Sym No.5 in D: Scherzo: Presto Misterioso - Philharmonia Orch/Leonard Slatkin
Sym No.5 in D: Romanza: Lento - Philharmonia Orch/Leonard Slatkin
Sym No.5 in D: Passacaglia: Moderato - Philharmonia Orch/Leonard Slatkin
Sym No.6 in e: Allegro - Philharmonia Orch/Leonard Slatkin
Sym No.6 in e: Moderato - Philharmonia Orch/Leonard Slatkin
Sym No.6 in e: Scherzo: Allegro Vivace - Philharmonia Orch/Leonard Slatkin
Sym No.6 in e: Epilogue: Moderato - Philharmonia Orch/Leonard Slatkin

Tracks:

Quick March-Sea Songs - Philharmonia Orch/Leonard Slatkin
Five Vars Of 'Dives And Lazarus': Theme (Adagio) - Philharmonia Orch/Leonard Slatkin
Five Vars Of 'Dives And Lazarus': Var I - Philharmonia Orch/Leonard Slatkin
Five Vars Of 'Dives And Lazarus': Var II - Philharmonia Orch/Leonard Slatkin
Five Vars Of 'Dives And Lazarus': Var III - Philharmonia Orch/Leonard Slatkin
Five Vars Of 'Dives And Lazarus': Var IV - Philharmonia Orch/Leonard Slatkin
Five Vars Of 'Dives And Lazarus': Var V - Philharmonia Orch/Leonard Slatkin
Sinf Antartica (Sym No.7): Prld (Andante Maestoso) - Linda Hohenfeld/Women Of The Philharmonia Chor
Sinf Antartica (Sym No.7): Scherzo (Moderato) - Linda Hohenfeld/Women Of The Philharmonia Chor
Sinf Antartica (Sym No.7): Landscape (Lento) - Linda Hohenfeld/Women Of The Philharmonia Chor/Leslie Pearson
Sinf Antartica (Sym No.7): Intermezzo (Andante Sostenuto) - Linda Hohenfeld/Women Of The Philharmonia Chor/John Anderson
Sinf Antartica (Sym No.7): Epilogue. Alla Marcia, Moderato (Non Troppo Allegro) - Linda Hohenfeld/Women Of The Philharmonia Chor

Tracks:

Flourish For Glorious John - Philharmonia Orch/Leonard Slatkin
Sym No.8 in d: Fant (Vari Senza Tema): Moderato/Presto/Andante Sostenuto/Allegretto... - Philharmonia Orch/Leonard Slatkin
Sym No.8 in d: Scherzo Alla Marcia (Per Stromenti A Fiato): Allegro Alla Marcia/Andante/Tempo I... - Philharmonia Orch/Leonard Slatkin
Sym No.8 in d: Cavatina (Per Stomenti Ad Arco): Lento Espressivo - Hugh Bean/David K. Jones
Sym No.8 in d: Toccata: Moderato Maestoso/Animato/Largamente - Philharmonia Orch/Leonard Slatkin
Sym No.9 in e: Moderato Maestoso: Tranquillo - Philharmonia Orch/Leonard Slatkin
Sym No.9 in e: Andante Sostenuto - David Mason
Sym No.9 in e: Scherzo: Allegro Pesante - Philharmonia Orch/Leonard Slatkin
Sym No.9 in e: Adante Tranquillo - Philharmonia Orch/Leonard Slatkin

Ralph Vaughan Williams: Symphony No.9 in e minor / Alan Hovhaness: Symphony No.2 ''Mysterious Mountain''

Average customer rating:

Ralph Vaughan Williams: Symphony No.9 in e minor / Alan Hovhaness: Symphony No.2 ''Mysterious Mountain''

Manufacturer: Cala
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

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Similar Items:

Peter Lieberson: Neruda Songs

ASIN: B0006SNFOY
Release Date: 2006-11-20

Vaughn Williams: Symphonies Nos. 5 and 9

Average customer rating:

great sounding, great music
A Revelation -- Exquisite Symphonism

Vaughn Williams: Symphonies Nos. 5 and 9

Manufacturer: Naxos
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

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Similar Items:

Vaughan Williams: Symphonies Nos. 7 "Sinfonia antartica" & 8
Vaughan Williams: Symphony No. 2; The Wasps
Vaughan Williams: Symphonies Nos. 3 "Pastoral" & No. 6
Vaughan Williams: Lark Ascending; Job
Vaughan Williams: Phantasy Quintet/String Quartets 1 & 2

ASIN: B00000I6I9
Release Date: 1999-01-19

Tracks:

Symphony No. 5 in D major: Preludio: Moderato - Allegro - Tempo I
Symphony No. 5 in D major: Scherzo: Presto misterioso
Symphony No. 5 in D major: Romanza: Lento
Symphony No. 5 in D major: Passacaglia: Moderato
Symphony No. 9 In E Minor: Moderato maestoso
Symphony No. 9 In E Minor: Andante sostenuto
Symphony No. 9 In E Minor: Scherzo: Allegro pesante
Symphony No. 9 In E Minor: Andante tranquillo

Customer Reviews:

great sounding, great music.......2001-09-23

I was only familiar with Vaughan Williams from his shorter pieces like my favorite, Fantasia on a theme by Tom Tallis -- this is my first listen to his symphonies. So far, I'm enthralled. These two recordings are tremendous -- great music well played. I suppose you could say that Williams' signature style is beautiful renditions of subtlely blended and harmonized music. What most critics leave out is his sense of drama -- while bucolic in parts, these symphonies have sections that can blow you away! Keep in mind he did many film scores as well so these pieces sometimes have a cinematic quality to them. A great CD.

A Revelation -- Exquisite Symphonism.......2000-12-09

The performance recorded on this disc was a revelation to me. For years I had enjoyed the "briefer" Vaughan Williams: his contributions to the English Hymnal, the odd chamber piece, the "Folk Song Suite" for band. But over the years, whenever I listened to recordings of the symphonies, I never cared for any of them. Not a one. Ever.

And I gave them a try from time to time, because good musical friends of mine held them in very high regard. Nothing.

Until listening to the Bournemouth Symphony on this disc.

The orchestra sounds wonderful, and the group and conductor Kees Bakels together give these great two symphonies what has been easily the most sympathetic, most compelling, most achingly appropriate reading ever to fall on my ears.

===================

There is a brooding quality to the first movement of the ninth, which recalls slightly the opening of the Antartica. Recalls, without being repetitive; more a matter of a mature artist mulling anew a theme he has touched on before. Great trio (two clarinets and bass clarinet) -- praise both of the composer and the orchestra. Vaughan Williams is a master of textural contrast. The Andante sostenuto is a lyrical dialogue between a dolce horn theme, and a rhythmically brutish tutti suggestive of "The Last of the Mohicans." As "menacing scherzi" go, this one is grimmer than the Beethoven Opus 125, but is less fierce than the Shostakovich tenth. It is bumptious, and suggests something of the spirit of Dukas; surprisingly musical saxophones, apart from one "honk" which (we suppose) the composer intended :-) At the last, Vaughan Williams rounds off the bleakness, lightens up the gloom, with an Andante tranquillo finale, which transforms some of the material of the first movement.

Vaughan Williams: Symphonies 8 & 9
Average customer rating:

autumnal Vaughan Williams

Vaughan Williams: Symphonies 8 & 9

Manufacturer: EMI Records [All429]
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

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Vaughan Williams: Sinfonia Antartica/The Wasps

Ralph Vaughan Williams: Symphonies Nos. 3 & 5

ASIN: B00000DO98
Release Date: 2001-02-27

Tracks:

Sym No.8 in d: I. Fant (Var Senza Tema)
Sym No.8 in d: II. Scherzo Alla Marcia
Sym No.8 in d: III. Cavatina
Sym No.8 in d: IV. Toccata
Sym No.9 in e: I. Moderato Maestoso
Sym No.9 in e: II. Andante Sostenuto
Sym No.9 in e: III. Scherzo (Allegro Pesante)
Sym No.9 in e: IV. Andante Tranquillo

Customer Reviews:

autumnal Vaughan Williams.......2002-11-20

In a way, Vaughan Williams' Eighth and Ninth symphonies are a microcosm of what happened to classical music in the second half of the twentieth century. They are move away from the epic (his London and Sea symphonies) and the beautiful (his pastoral symphony). In the place of these two elements we find complexity and invention.

Please allow me to be a bit of a critical dinosaur for minute and make value judgment: I don't like where Vaughan Williams took his later music. There are still moments of intense beauty (try the beginning of the Eighth symphony's third movement for instance), but these pieces are lacking in vision--particularly that sense of something "Grand" that makes RVW's music special. Yet, these are some of Vaughan Williams' "autumnal" compositions, and as such maybe it is only appropriate that they are a bit scattered--like the falling of leaves.

This particular disc, more than any other in Boult's second recording of Vaughan Williams' symphony cycle, shows that perhaps Boult had lost a step with age. For all the wisdom and insight Boult brings to other pieces in this cycle for EMI, his versions of the Eighth and Ninth sound a bit beleaguered compared to his earlier recordings of them for Decca. The scherzo of the Ninth is particularly impaired.

Tracks:

Flourish For Glorious John
Sym No.8 in d: Fant (Vari Senza Tema): Moderato/Presto/Andante Sostenuto/Allegretto...
Sym No.8 in d: Scherzo Alla Marcia (Per Stromenti A Fiato): Allegro Alla Marcia/Andante/Tempo I...
Sym No.8 in d: Cavatina (Per Stomenti Ad Arco): Lento Espressivo - Hugh Bean/David K. Jones
Sym No.8 in d: Toccata: Moderato Maestoso/Animato/Largamente
Sym No.9 in e: Moderato Maestoso: Tranquillo
Sym No.9 in e: Andante Sostenuto - David Mason
Sym No.9 in e: Scherzo: Allegro Pesante
Sym No.9 in e: Adante Tranquillo

Amazon.com

Vaughan Williams's Eight and Ninth Symphonies carry on the composer's enchantment with unusual instruments that first appeared in the Seventh Symphony, the famous Sinfonia Antartica. In the Eighth, there's a terrific "bell" finale with its three tuned gongs and "all the phones and spiels known to the composer," as well as inner movements written exclusively for winds and strings. The Ninth has its share of exotic percussion too, but also a flugelhorn and a trio of saxophones. It's all great listening, and it has never been better performed and recorded than in these two outstanding performances. --David Hurwitz

Average customer rating:

For real VW enthusiasts, this is rather lacking
Undistinguished
Splendid Interpretations Of Vaughn Williams' Last Symphonies
Best 8th and 9th (for now)
Earnest performance very good sonics

Vaughan Williams: Symphonies Nos. 8 & 9
Ralph Vaughan Williams , Bernard Haitink , and London Philharmonic Orchestra
Manufacturer: EMI Classics
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

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Tracks:

Symphony No. 8 in D minor: Fantasia
Symphony No. 8 in D minor: Scherzo alla marcia: Allegro alla marcia
Symphony No. 8 in D minor: Cavatina: Lento espressivo
Symphony No. 8 in D minor: Toccata: Moderato maestoso
Symphony No. 9 In E minor: Moderato maestoso
Symphony No. 9 In E minor: Andante sostenuto
Symphony No. 9 In E minor: Scherzo
Symphony No. 9 In E minor: Andante tranquillo

Customer Reviews:

For real VW enthusiasts, this is rather lacking.......2005-10-04

Vaughan Williams's nine symphonies haven't traveled well. Except for the occasional Biritsh guest conductor--or Andre Previn--who program one of the popular ones, such as #2, the Londong Sym. or #5, the appearance of any other VW symphony is rare. I admire Haitink's attempt to take these works more into the ntrenational realm, but he is up against a British tradition that is fiercely loyal to this composer, which has yielded many competitors (far more than the musical quality warrants).

If this CD had been bolder in its interpretations, one could champion Hiatink over such stalwarts as Boult and Vernon Handley, but these performances don't excite me. The Eighth is rather soft and lagging, not a match for Stokowski's blazing live performance on BBC. The Ninth sounds like an old man's maunderings here. It's a tough nut to crack, and Haitink's gentle, uneventful way with the piece created more than a few lapses in my attention. Altogether, I can see VW specialists sticking with the old British crew, or they might add this CD to the shelf because of the beautiful orchestral playing and warm, natural sound.

Undistinguished.......2005-02-16

Two Gramophone magazine critics presented this CD as their best classical music CD of 2002, heaping praise on an issue that had already been given much in that category. This led me to consider this recording a few years later when I sought this combination of symphonies.

Given all that, it is difficult to describe the dissatisfaction and alienation I feel after hearing this recording. I wonder what these critics hear in this music I don't? Compared to the outstanding recordings of this (and all other symphonies by Vaughan Williams) by Boult, Previn and especially Handley, Haitink's work is hardly more than routine.

There is no single quality on display in this CD that equals the recordings by Vernon Handley, which continue to set the standard in this repertoire. First, Handley's interpretations are better, more suited to the emotional world of Ralph Vaughan Williams, and a better presentation of the scores. And while Handley's orchestra, the Royal Liverpool Philharmonic, does not have the swagger or big name of Haitink's Royal Philharmonic, it outplays the more well-known English group.

And the recording quality of Handley's symphonies is a mile ahead of the milky, diffuse and homogenized sound of the Haitink issue. For me, that's three strikes and out on this one.

When Bernard Haitink was making his name during the 1960s and 1970s with the Concertgebouw Orchestra, I thought he had potential to become a top name in this industry. His name is still big but, in my opinion, his work has declined with age. After issuing forgettable collections of the Beethoven and Tchaikovsky symphonies in Holland, Haitink went on to make equally forgettable Brahms symphonies in Boston. His Shostakovich cycle from the 1980s, while lithe, muscular and exceptionally well-recorded, lacks the emotional involvement necessary to bring luster to the music.

Among Haitink's Vaughan Williams cycle, I have now heard the Symphonies 3, 4, 8 and 9. I would not count any of those among the better versions I own or have encountered. I cannot join the legion that has jumped on the Haitink Vaughan Williams bandwagon and would argue quite the opposite. For me, this is a recording that does not compete with the best in its arena and does nothing to change the overall Vaughan Williams landscape.

Splendid Interpretations Of Vaughn Williams' Last Symphonies.......2002-01-07

It's truly a shame Bernard Haitink no longer records for Philips. This exquisite EMI recording demonstrates he is still in excellent form as one of our foremost conductors, leading his former orchestra, the London Philharmonic, in a pair of excellent performances. Haitink's interpretation of Vaughan Williams' 8th Symphony is a bit darker than I expected; this is a brooding, very dramatic performance of this symphony. The 9th Symphony is another fine interpretation too, though it sounds a bit more conventional than Haitink's 8th. Needless to say, the London Philharmonic plays brilliantly for its former music director. These performances are replete with the excellent sound quality EMI has been noted for. I don't know whether Haitink intends to record again the entire Vaughan Williams symphony cycle, but if so, then this CD is a splendid way to start. It's one of my favorite new releases in orchestral classical music from 2001; it's one I strongly recommend acquiring.

Best 8th and 9th (for now).......2001-07-09

There are some similarities between Vaughan Williams's 8th symphony and Beethoven's--their short length (relative to the composers' other symphonies), their unusual structures, and their playfulness in instrumentation and melodic content. While these are perhaps valid observations, Haitink's performance points up the more "modern" aspects of this twentieth-century symphony. With excellent playing from the London Philharmonic, Haitink's performance is a shade "darker" than usual--in particular, the final Toccata (led by the largest percussion section in any of RVW's works), is here far more menacing than in any other performance I've heard.

Haitink's Ninth is somewhat more conventional than the Eighth--the brooding and foreboding which permeates the earlier work is somewhat missing here. However, the performance is brilliantly captured by EMI--you can here far more orchestral detail than in just about any other recording of this piece.

Unfortunately--or fortunately, depending on your viewpoint--VW's Ninth symphony is one of those works that is meant to challenge and provoke listeners and performers alike. As a result, no single conception can ever adequately capture everything he set forth to accomplish in this work. If you do not have a recording of these symphonies--and anyone with an interest in twentieth-century symphonic music should--these are an outstanding place to start (at least until Richard Hickox records them for his RVW cycle on Chandos).

Earnest performance very good sonics.......2001-06-26

After the premier of his 8th symphony RVW said he had enough ideas left to occupy him for another ten years. Then he died. He survive World War One at the front, the blitz of World War Two and the second Viennese school of music, only to succumb to the ninth symphony curse. Haitink and the London Philharmonic present a digital era 8th which can stand shoulder to shoulder with Slatkins on RCA or maybe Davis on Teldec, but the chestnut on this disk is the 9th. In the ninth Vaughn Williams used the addition of three saxophones and a flugelhorn which were not allowed to "indulge in the bad habit of vibrato and were obliged to sit up and play straight. Haitink seems to have found the core of this work. Add in the fine quality of the recording and this is a solid pick.

Vaughan Williams: The Complete Symphonies

Average customer rating:

Best RVW sym set
Vaughan Williams with some steel in its spine
Good readings, great recordings
No problems here either.
No problem here, either

Vaughan Williams: The Complete Symphonies

Manufacturer: Chandos
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

General | Symphonies | Classical | Styles | Music

Modern & 20th Century | Symphonies | Classical | Styles | Music

General | Classical | Styles | Music
ASIN: B000000AQ2
Release Date: 1992-10-28

Tracks:

A Sea Symphony (No.1): I. A Song For All Seas, All Ships - Moderato maestoso
A Sea Symphony (No.1): II. On The Beach At Night, Alone - Largo sostenuto
A Sea Symphony (No.1): III. Scherzo - The Waves - Allegro brillante
A Sea Symphony (No.1): IV The Explorers - Grave e molto adagio

Tracks:

A London Symphony (No. 2): Lento - Allegro risoluto
A London Symphony (No. 2): Lento
A London Symphony (No. 2): Scherzo (Nocturne) - Allegro vivace
A London Symphony (No. 2): Andante con moto - Allegro - Epilogue
Symphony No. 8 In D Minor: Fantasia (Variazioni senza Tema) - Moderato
Symphony No. 8 In D Minor: Scherzo alla Marcia (per stromenti a fiato) - Allegro alla Marcia
Symphony No. 8 In D Minor: Cavatina (per stromenti ad arco) - Lento espressivo
Symphony No. 8 In D Minor: Toccata - Modeato maestoso

Tracks:

A Pastoral Symphony (No. 3): Molto moderato
A Pastoral Symphony (No. 3): Lento moderato
A Pastoral Symphony (No. 3): Moderato pesante
A Pastoral Symphony (No. 3): Lento
Symphony No. 4 In F Minor: Allegro
Symphony No. 4 In F Minor: Andante moderato
Symphony No. 4 In F Minor: Scherzo: Allegro molto
Symphony No. 4 In F Minor: Finale con Epilgo fugato: Allegro molto

Tracks:

Symphony No. 5 in D major: Preludio: Moderato
Scherzo: Presto misterioso
Symphony No. 5 in D major: Romanza: Lento
Symphony No. 5 in D major: Passacaglia: Moderato
Symphony No. 6 In E Minor: Allegro
Symphony No. 6 In E Minor: Moderato
Symphony No. 6 In E Minor: Scherzo: Allegro vivace
Symphony No. 6 In E Minor: Epilogue: Moderato

Tracks:

Sinfonia Antartica (Symphony No. 7): Prelude: Andante maestoso
Sinfonia Antartica (Symphony No. 7): Scherzo: Moderato
Sinfonia Antartica (Symphony No. 7): Landscape: Lento
Sinfonia Antartica (Symphony No. 7): Intermezzo Andante sostenuto
Sinfonia Antartica (Symphony No. 7): Epilogue: Alla marcia, moderato (non troppo allegro)
Symphony No. 9 In E Minor: Moderato maestoso
Symphony No. 9 In E Minor: Andante: sostenuto
Symphony No. 9 In E Minor: Scherzo: Allegro pesante
Symphony No. 9 In E Minor: Andante tranquillo

Customer Reviews:

Best RVW sym set.......2006-04-07

I've heard most all the avaliable recordings, Mitropoulos, Stokoswki, Previn, Boult, Barbirolli, Haitink, some fine ones there I'll admit.
But in my humble opinion my first recommend is Bryden Thomson.
The London SO has put their whole hearts into this cycle and it shows.
Now as to glitches inn some of the discs. I may indeed have heard one of 2. I can't recall in last nights listen to the 5th, as the volume was low.
I may have heard a tiny glitch.
I'll give the entire set another hearing. If I hear something I'll post a note.
If I don't I'll edit this comment off.

The Bryden Thomson cycle is the definitive RVW set.
While some favor only some of RVW's syms I happen to admire all of them, especially 4,5,6,7.
RVW, a major 20th century comaposer and a student of Ravel.

EDIT: Listening to cd3, at the end in sym 4, there is A FEW GLITCHES, SHARP SNAPS.
I think there may be one other place in the set that has this sharp snap sound.
hummmm, Not sure what to do, I think Chandos ought to call back this set and offer owners new sets.
I doubt if I'll list it here for sale, I couldn't do that. Most likely I'll give the set toa friend, and buy another.
I'll play the new set all the way through, if it does it, I'll send it back to caiman for a refund and buy another.
This is indeed the finest RVW sym set, and no other will do.
Its a shame the glitch is in one of my favs , the 4th sym.

I'll keep you guys posted

EDIT, what i may also do is just order sym 4/single cd. Thats if there are no other glitches on any other cds.
Just a thought.

Vaughan Williams with some steel in its spine.......2005-10-25

However much some of the other complete Vaughan Williams symphony cycles have to recommend them, I don't know that the composer would have cottoned to their tendency to either sentimentalize the music or play up its lyrical elements at the expense of sterner stuff. The late Bryden Thomson did neither, and the result is one of the most clear-eyed, tough-minded, and convincing VW cycles available--comparable to Adrian Boult's almost-complete 1950s series. Paradoxically, that sharp focus actually heightens the sense of mystery in passages such as the opening movement of the Eighth Symphony and the enigmatic final pages of the Sixth. Only "A Sea Symphony" is less than a total success, and even there the expansive final movement impresses. This 5-CD set omits the shorter works that served as makeweights in the individual issues, but Chandos has reissued some of those recordings elsewhere.

Good readings, great recordings.......2004-04-08

Critics worldwide have criticized this set as being too literal, as if to say the symphonies of Ralph Vaughan Williams need thorough interpreting before they can be great.

I have never understood the charge against this set and have never understood critics that believe the symphonies are not strong enough to stand on their own without interpreter affectation. I agree the cycles by Adrian Boult (both of them) and Vernon Handley are wonderful and perhaps more consistent than this one, but neither conductor read the scores as thoroughly and both sets are a world away from this one in terms of sound.

The London Symphony Orchestra plays wonderfully throughout this set, from the Sea Symphony to the final note in Symphony 9. Meanwhile, they turn in one of the most underrated cerebral performances of "Pastoral" Symphony 3 ever committed to disc, LP, tape or wax cylinder.

The criticism that Thomson was not "atmospheric" in this recording deflects what it actually is: the music Vaughan Williams envisioned in his head at the time he composed it. Vaughan Williams collaborated with Boult in his earliest recordings. He is said to have thought one way about the music, then told Boult, "But you play it the way you think correct." I guess this means there is no such thing as "definitive" Vaughan Williams, eh?

The Thomson recording of 3 is a wonderful, literal, visceral and hyperintelligent reading of music that is normally spoiled by interpretation. Thomson also outstandingly in Vaughan Williams greatest symphonies including the "London" Symphony 2, the wartime Symphony 4 and Vaughan Williams most wonderful creation, Symphony 5.

I was a tad let down by "Antarctica" Symphony 7 when I first heard it. Today, however, it seems to fit well in the Thomson worldview representing the thoughts of Vaughan Williams and not his interpreters. As to the Symphony 9 not being among the best readings in the set, my thoughts are, "Who cares?" It and Symphony 6 are relative small brothers to Symphonies 2, 3, 4, 5 and 7, all of which are done extremely well under Thomson's baton.

Since Musical Heritage Society bought recording rights to these works, members of that organization can acquire them for much less than the stated list price here. I once bought the set during a summer sell-down from MHS at the astoundingly low price of $19.99! At that price, no one anywhere could quibble with anything in the set.

No problems here either........2003-06-21

A great set! While perhaps not as consistent as Handley's set (now on CfP), Thomson's achieves some very notable highpoints (particularly the 'London' Symphony and nos. 4, 5 and 6), and his performances are always eloquent and at times revelatory.

No problem here, either.......2001-01-23

This a beautifully played set. I had heard nothing about production flaws until I read the other reviews. The set I bought was fine. When I am feeling particularly like an anglophile, there are few things better to listen to then these performances of the Vaughan Williams symphonies. Thomson shows flexibility and breadth of expression in the diverse sorts of sounds that Vaughan Williams calls for. From what Sir Adrian Boult called the "modal blessedness" of the 3rd, to the jarring and dissonant 4 & 6(Vaughan Williams himself wasn't entirely sure what he thought of the 4th upon hearing it for the first time, "but this is what I meant by it.") with the tranquil 5th in between to the vast, craggy, and often inhuman landscapes of 7,8,9, the Thomson-molded sound can best be described as "British." The pastoral meloncholy, which is a peculiarly British mood, expressed in the early symphonies is dealt with masterfully as is the cool, detached and dissonant music of the later symphonies. Keeping in mind to what degree Vaughan Williams was rooted in English folk music and how oddly indifferent he was to the German symphonic tradition of Beethoven, Bruckner, & Mahler, these recordings, more than any others I've heard seem to express just what Vaughan Williams had in mind. In the midst of applauding Thomson's conducting, I would be remiss in not mentioning the fine playing of the London Symphony Orchestra. The brass in particular are excellent; playing often with the cold clarity and precision called for, and avoiding gushy sentimentality (even in 2,3, & 5). It is an all-round excellent set, and for what it's worth, I highly advise it.

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