Few symphonies are as compelling and moving as Ralph Vaughan Williams' A Sea Symphony, a setting for soprano, baritone, choir, and large orchestra on poetry by Walt Whitman that is often credited with reviving the British symphonic movement. This ecstatic live performance by Mark Elder and The Hallé is musically convincing and emotionally stirring, and soprano Katherine Broderick, baritone Roderick Williams, and the combined forces of the Hallé Choir, the Hallé Youth Choir, Schola Cantorum, and Ad Solem contribute to the ...
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Few symphonies are as compelling and moving as Ralph Vaughan Williams' A Sea Symphony, a setting for soprano, baritone, choir, and large orchestra on poetry by Walt Whitman that is often credited with reviving the British symphonic movement. This ecstatic live performance by Mark Elder and The Hallé is musically convincing and emotionally stirring, and soprano Katherine Broderick, baritone Roderick Williams, and the combined forces of the Hallé Choir, the Hallé Youth Choir, Schola Cantorum, and Ad Solem contribute to the vastness of the sound, the richness of details, and the mystical depth of the music. Elder's interpretation is fluid and flexible, with some noticeable fluctuations in tempo at the service of the text to give it clarity. However, he also emphasizes those seldom-heard inner voices and softer orchestral colors that are sometimes buried but lend the music an impressionist cast, and he shows great sensitivity to Vaughan Williams' innovative scoring. There have been several fine recordings...
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