Ralph Vaughan Williams destroyed many of his early works, but he preserved the first two pieces on this Naxos release, The Solent (1902-1903) and the Fantasia for Piano and Orchestra (1902, rev. 1904). These have been recorded before, but apparently not together, and for the Vaughan Williams fan, they offer insight into the mind of the young composer. The two works adumbrate Vaughan Williams' maturity in different ways. The title of The Solent refers to a channel between the Isle of Wight and the English mainland. Thus the ...
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Ralph Vaughan Williams destroyed many of his early works, but he preserved the first two pieces on this Naxos release, The Solent (1902-1903) and the Fantasia for Piano and Orchestra (1902, rev. 1904). These have been recorded before, but apparently not together, and for the Vaughan Williams fan, they offer insight into the mind of the young composer. The two works adumbrate Vaughan Williams' maturity in different ways. The title of The Solent refers to a channel between the Isle of Wight and the English mainland. Thus the work is one of Vaughan Williams' highly characteristic sea pieces, and its quite attractive opening theme, stated by a solo clarinet, reappeared in the Sea Symphony in vocal garb. You'd instantly identify Vaughan Williams as the composer of The Solent. That's perhaps less true of the sizable Fantasia for piano and orchestra, with its emotionally neutral thematic material, but the 20-minute work shows the composer solving a variety of formal problems. The Suite of Six Short Pieces for...
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![Ralph Vaughan Williams: Lark Ascending [Jennifer Pike; Sina Kloke; Chamber Orchestra of New York, Salvatore Di Vittorio] [Naxos: 8573530]](https://www2.alibris-static.com/cover/o26283ohktj_t.jpg)
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