This release is the final volume in a cycle of the symphonies of Ralph Vaughan Williams on the Chandos label, a cycle that has had many pleasures. It's a superb conclusion, and you might even pick this volume if you want just one from the whole set. Start with the sound: Chandos engineers outdo themselves in the Grieghalle in Norway, where the Bergen Philharmonic rings, glitters, and is reproduced with enough dynamic range to remind you that a symphony orchestra really ought to push the senses a bit. The selection of works ...
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This release is the final volume in a cycle of the symphonies of Ralph Vaughan Williams on the Chandos label, a cycle that has had many pleasures. It's a superb conclusion, and you might even pick this volume if you want just one from the whole set. Start with the sound: Chandos engineers outdo themselves in the Grieghalle in Norway, where the Bergen Philharmonic rings, glitters, and is reproduced with enough dynamic range to remind you that a symphony orchestra really ought to push the senses a bit. The selection of works brings you three distinct facets of Vaughan Williams' personality: The neoclassic Piano Concerto in C major in a version co-composed by Vaughan Williams for two pianos, with its rhapsodically hushed finale; the intimate Four Last Songs, set to texts by Ursula Vaughan Williams, done by baritone Roderick Williams, never in better voice; and the Sinfonia Antartica (Symphony No. 7) for soprano solo, female chorus, and orchestra, a vivid tone poem that is almost experimental in its sound...
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