Devotees of the composer might argue that a collection called The Best of Ralph Vaughan Williams ought to be at least a 30-disc set containing all his symphonies, operas, and oratorios, plus a large selection of his songs, concertos, and other orchestral works. But since a large part of the purpose of a best-of collection is to introduce listeners unfamiliar with the composer to sample his work, a single-disc selection is probably more effective. For this purpose, the A&R department at Naxos has assembled 10 tracks for this ...
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Devotees of the composer might argue that a collection called The Best of Ralph Vaughan Williams ought to be at least a 30-disc set containing all his symphonies, operas, and oratorios, plus a large selection of his songs, concertos, and other orchestral works. But since a large part of the purpose of a best-of collection is to introduce listeners unfamiliar with the composer to sample his work, a single-disc selection is probably more effective. For this purpose, the A&R department at Naxos has assembled 10 tracks for this best-of the great English modernist. Some of the selections were inevitable: how could the Fantasia on a Theme by Thomas Tallis, the Fantasias on Greensleeves, and, of course, The Lark Ascending not be included? Others are more unlikely: is the Prelude to the film 49th Parallel really one of Vaughan Williams' best pieces? But on the whole, this collection lives up to its name and will serve to introduce listeners to the composer.The performances themselves are a mixed lot. Some,...
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