Ralph VAUGHAN WILLIAMS (1872-1958)
The Complete EMI Recordings conducted by Sir Adrian Boult
Full track-listing below
EMI CLASSICS 9 03567 2 [13 CDs: 17:00:00]
Doubtless future generations of VW adherents will replay the game of swings
and roundabouts that emerges every time one contrasts the two symphonic cycles
left by Adrian Boult. The first was in mono for Decca beginning in the early
1950s, and the second for EMI in stereo, starting in 1968. If one has Belart’s
quite vivid 1996 transfers of that first cycle [461 442-2] one has a box of
enduring worth with performances of taut drama. The later cycle, here repackaged
in the context of Boult’s complete EMI VW recordings, offers many valuable
opportunities to understand and appreciate Boult’s subtly modified view
of the canon.
Naturally the sound quality will loom large. Indeed for some people, it will
largely eclipse interpretative matters. Taking those further, sound obsessives
wouldn’t much care for 1968 recordings in any case, nourishing only
the latest test case in ultimate reproduction. For the rest of us, it’s
a hugely rewarding chance to get to grips with these major undertakings. It’s
not really a question of tempi. It would be tedious indeed to tabulate the
timings and measure out performances by the minute and second. Boult is certainly
not always slower in his stereo cycle; not by a long chalk. It’s rather
more a question of intensity.
The Sea Symphony is actually slightly tauter in 1968 than in the Decca
traversal. His soloists back then were the admirable Isobel Baillie and John
Cameron, whom I happen, just, to prefer to Sheila Armstrong and John Carol
Case. There’s an extra degree of communicative drama in the Decca, fine
though the EMI is. Boult first conducted A London Symphony in 1918,
and in between these two recordings seems slightly to have rethought his approach
to the first two movements. He is more expansive in the opening movement in
1971 but significantly faster in the Lento second movement. Lovers
of the symphony won’t need reminding of Richard Hickox’s pioneering
recording of the original 1913 version. Seriously hardcore collectors will
need Eugene Goossens version of the 1920 edition, made in Cincinnati and once
available on Biddulph [WHL016], which is an easier listen, but is not more
important historically than Dan Godfrey’s pioneering recording of the
1920 version, made in 1925, and available on Symposium 1377.
The Pastoral (with the New Philharmonia, not LPO) receives beautiful
recordings, complementary in strengths. He takes a little more time in the
Decca but both finales offer gripping symphonic summations and the playing
is fine throughout in both discs. Margaret Ritchie sings in the earlier of
the two, Margaret Price in the stereo remake. Interestingly, to show Boult’s
conducting was perhaps more fluid interpretatively than is often thought -
by which I don’t mean necessarily more intense live than in the studio,
though that was often the case too - the live 1972 performance he gave in
Studio 1 Maida Vale for the BBC with its Symphony Orchestra, and with soprano
Valerie Hill, reminds me a touch more of the Decca of two decades before than
the more recent EMI [BBC Radio Classics 15656 91642].
Bernstein, Mitropoulos, and Stokowski: there’s something for everyone
when it comes to No.4. Add the composer himself in his famous recording, the
disinterred Barbirolli and then add the two Boults and you have pretty much
all you need, if you fancy ‘historic’ recordings. Boult remained
pretty consistent, though his earlier recording’s opening movement is
elemental in its power, even more so than the stereo remake. The Decca recording
is a little brittle but certainly nothing can efface Boult’s gripping
command here. Again this is with the New Philharmonia. Except for the finale,
where he is tangibly a bit terser, No. 5 is just that shade slower in 1969
but not much less moving. The wind playing in the Romanza is necessarily
more vivid because of the recording quality as is, too, the veiled string
tone. I wouldn’t be without his first thoughts though.
Boult recorded the Sixth on 78s in 1949-50 [Dutton CDBP9703], with the original
and revised versions of the Scherzo, following it with his Decca LP. It’s
here too, so you needn’t go to the Dutton if you want to acquire it.
Boult tightened both the Moderato second movement and the numbing Epilogue
in his 1967 New Philharmonia recording when compared to the Decca, but his
1949 EMI 78 had an even faster Epilogue. As if to show that nothing
is in limbo when it comes to VW-Boult studies, the conductor’s August
1972 live Prom performance shaves a full two minutes off the Decca Epilogue
alone, aligning it to Boult’s later preferred speed. Boult is even more
visceral in that Prom in the opening movement with his old orchestra, the
BBC Symphony. It can be found coupled with No.3 in the BBC disc noted above.
I suspect one performance that some will prefer over another is that of the
Decca Sinfonia Antartica. The Decca has superscriptions spoken by John
Gielgud and the performance is masterly from beginning to end; conducting
of a calibre not often encountered in this work. Boult is only marginally
less atmospheric in 1968 and he has Norma Burrowes where earlier he had Margaret
Ritchie once again. This is a matter of tempi and tempo relationships, because
he is significantly tighter in the remake to an extent that is quite unusual
in his discography. Some, therefore, may prefer this ‘symphonic tautness’
to the more filmic latitude of the Decca. I love both, but in this case I
tend toward the wide-open spaces of the Decca. Symphony No.8 may also divide
loyalties. The Decca is in 1956 stereo - the only one of the cycle to be thus
recorded, given that he didn’t record No.9 for Decca, only for Everest.
The Decca No.8 is also beautifully performed with a good tonal response from
the LPO fiddles. The 1969 version is very similar in outline, but perhaps
fractionally less compelling expressively. This leaves the field to the EMI
Ninth, recorded in December 1969, which should certainly be heard in conjunction
with the equally excellent Everest traversal [EVC 9001] which was recorded
about seven months after the composer’s death.
The symphonies are the spine of this 13-CD boxed set. The smaller items are
all present. Hugh Bean’s lovely 1967 Lark Ascending is here but
so is the earlier 1952 recording with Jean Pougnet with his faster vibrato.
I rather prefer Iona Brown’s first recording, with Neville Marriner,
to both, but it’s a delight to have the two coupled in this way. There
are two recordings of the Serenade to Music. The first was made in
1951 in the Royal Festival Hall in the choral version - an interesting occasion,
as it was the hall’s opening; this has never been released on CD before
- whilst the 1969 remake is heard with the 16 solo singers. The Tallis
Fantasia can also be admired in both the 1940 and 1975 versions, whilst
Job is also subject to two recordings, namely the famous 1946 78 set
and Boult’s 1970 stereo. Vronsky and Babin join the LPO and Boult for
a splendid traversal of the problematic (is it problematic?) Concerto in C,
for two pianos. The Partita for double string orchestra and Concerto
Grosso both derive from 1975 sessions. Flos campi (my computer
just wrote the name of that well-known seaside baud, Flo Scampi) is heard
with violist William Primrose in superb form in 1946.
One of VW’s choral masterpieces is Dona Nobis Pacem where the
soloists are Armstrong and Carol Case (April 1973). VW’s own live 1936
performance is even faster and can be heard on SOMM CD071, coupled with part
of a Prom concert in 1952 where the composer conducted his Fifth Symphony.
The Song of Thanksgiving, which had earlier been known as Thanksgiving
for Victory was sung by Betty Dolemore with narrator Robert Speaight in
1951. There’s an earlier viscerally exciting Boult performance, with
that lovely soprano Elsie Suddaby and narrator Valentine ‘The Man in
Black’ Dyall, once available on Intaglio INCD7571. Pianist Peter Katin
and the LPO Choir join to produce a stirring Fantasia (quasi variazione)
on the Old 104th. Menuhin’s 1952 mono performance
of the Concerto accademico - or Violin Concerto in D minor as it really
should always be called, if for no other reason than to stop people shying
away from it - is here, though it was shelved when recorded and not released
for very many years. Several smaller pieces will afford great pleasure, not
least The Wasps suite, Toward the Unknown Region and the Norfolk
Rhapsody No.1.
The Pilgrim’s Progress has been revived on stage recently, to
mixed reviews. For those who wish to listen, Boult’s 1972 recording
occupies the last two CDs in this 13-CD box. It has a vast cast-list of some
of the best-known singers in Britain at the time. It’s salutary to be
reminded that this was Boult’s only opera recording. The rehearsal segments
that are included last around 27 minutes and have been issued previously but
they are valuable for illustrating the conductor’s patient, jovial but
very occasionally irascible industry.
There’s a modestly sized booklet with an essay and full discographical
details. The transfers are not new. They date from 1986 to 1992, with the
exception of the 1951 Serenade to Music and the 1940 Tallis Fantasia
which were made in 2013; the latter is a bit muddy for my own tastes.
It seems superfluous to recommend this box. It contains around 17 hours of
Boult’s VW. Many of these recordings are amongst the very best you will
hear. Above it, the box offers a concentrated focus on one of the composer’s
most devoted exponents, a man who premiered three of the symphonies, and who
remained an artistic partner par excellence.
Jonathan Woolf
A concentrated focus on one of the composer’s most devoted exponents.
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Track-listing
CD 1
A Sea Symphony (Symphony No. 1)
[1]-[ 5] I: A Song for All Seas, All Ships (Moderato maestoso) 19.10
[6]-[7] II: On the Beach at Night, Alone (Largo sostenuto) 10.19
[8] III: Scherzo: The Waves (Allegro brillante) 7.25
[9]-[15] IV: The Explorers
(Grave e molto adagio - Andante con moto) 28.12
Sheila Armstrong, soprano; John Carol Case, baritone 65.30
London Philharmonic Choir & London Philharmonic Orchestra
CD 2
[1]-[4] A London Symphony (Symphony No. 2) 43.01
London Philharmonic Orchestra
[5]-[8] A Pastoral Symphony (Symphony No. 3) 33.23
Margaret Price, soprano 76.30
New Philharmonia Orchestra
CD 3
[1]-[4] Symphony No. 4 in F minor 32.17
New Philharmonia Orchestra
[5]-[8] Symphony No. 6 in E minor 36.08
New Philharmonia Orchestra 68.44
CD 4
[1]-[4] Symphony No. 5 in D 37.19
London Philharmonic Orchestra
[5]-[8] Symphony No. 9 in E minor 34.44
London Philharmonic Orchestra 72.30
CD 5
[1]-[5] Sinfonia antartica (Symphony No. 7) 41.48
Norma Burrowes, soprano
London Philharmonic Choir & London Philharmonic Orchestra
[5]-[8] Symphony No. 8 in D minor 28.23
London Philharmonic Orchestra 70.30
CD 6
[1] Norfolk Rhapsody No. 1 10.14
[2] In the Fen Country 13.51
[3] The Lark Ascending (with Hugh Bean, violin) 14.42
New Philharmonia Orchestra
[4]-[8] Aristophanic Suite “The Wasps” 25.41
London Philharmonic Orchestra
[9] Fantasia on “Greensleeves” (arr. Ralph Greaves) 4.34
London Symphony Orchestra
[10]-[12] English Folk Song Suite (arr. Gordon Jacob) 8.45
London Symphony Orchestra 78.20
CD 7
[1] Fantasia on a Theme by Thomas Tallis 16.30
London Philharmonic Orchestra
[2] Serenade to Music (original version) 13.14
Norma Burrowes, Sheila Armstrong, Susan Longfield, Marie Hayward, soprano
Alfreda Hodgson, Gloria Jennings, Shirley Minty, Meriel Dickinson, contralto
Ian Partridge, Bernard Dickerson, Wynford Evans, Kenneth Bowen, tenor
Richard Angas, John Carol Case, John Noble, Christopher Keyte, bass
London Philharmonic Orchestra
[3] Toward the Unknown Region 12.09
London Philharmonic Choir & London Philharmonic Orchestra
[4]-[7] Partita for double string orchestra 19.29
[8]-[12] Concerto Grosso 17.27
London Philharmonic Orchestra 79.00
CD 8
[1]-[4] Concerto for two pianos and orchestra in C 25.46
Vitya Vronsky, Victor Babin, piano
London Philharmonic Orchestra
[5]-[16] Job: A Masque for Dancing 44.17
London Symphony Orchestra 70.22
CD 9
[1]-[6] Dona nobis pacem 36.10
Sheila Armstrong, soprano; John Carol Case, baritone
London Philharmonic Choir & London Philharmonic Orchestra
[7] Fantasia (quasi variazione) on the
Old 104th Psalm Tune 14.17
Peter Katin, piano
London Philharmonic Choir & London Philharmonic Orchestra
[8] A Song of Thanksgiving 15.03
Betty Dolemore, soprano; Robert Speaight, narrator; Harry Gabb, organ
Luton Choral Society (with a section of the Luton Girls’ Choir)
London Philharmonic Orchestra [1951]
[9] The Lark Ascending 13.20
Jean Pougnet, violin
London Philharmonic Orchestra [1952] 79.00
CD 10
[1]-[4] Symphony No. 6 in E minor 33.57
[5] III: Scherzo (original version) 6.03
London Symphony Orchestra [1949/50]
[6]-[11] Flos campi 19.47
William Primrose, viola
BBC Chorus & Philharmonia Orchestra [1946]
[12]-[14] Violin Concerto in D minor 16.34
Yehudi Menuhin, violin
London Philharmonic Orchestra [1952] 76.30
CD 11
[1] Serenade to Music (choral version) 12.00
Royal Festival Orchestra and Choir [1951]
[2] Fantasia on a Theme by Thomas Tallis 14.03
B. B. C. Symphony Orchestra [1940]
[3]-[14] Job: A Masque for Dancing 43.46
BBC Symphony Orchestra [1946] 70.30
The Pilgrim’s Progress
CD 12
[1]-[6] Prologue, Act 1, Act 2, Act 3 Scene 1 76.27
CD 13
[1]-[7] Act 3 Scene 2, Act 4 & Epilogue 48.58
[8]-[12] Sir Adrian in Rehearsal 26.38
The Pilgrim - John Noble, baritone
John Bunyan - Raimund Herincx, baritone
Evangelist - John Carol-Case, baritone
Four neighbours
Pliable - Wynford Evans, tenor
Obstinate - Christopher Keyte, bass
Mistrust - Geoffrey Shaw, baritone
Timorous - Bernard Dickerson, tenor
Three Shining Ones - Sheila Armstrong, soprano
Marie Hayward, soprano
Gloria Jennings, contralto
Interpreter - Ian Partridge, tenor
Watchful, the Porter - John Shirley-Quirk, baritone
A Herald - Terence Sharpe, baritone
Apollyon - Robert Lloyd, bass
Two Heavenly Beings
Branch Bearer - Norma Burrowes, soprano
Cup Bearer - Alfreda Hodgson, contralto
Lord Lechery - Joseph Ward, tenor
Demas - Geoffrey Shaw, baritone
Judas Iscariot - Christopher Keyte, bass
Simon Magus - Richard Angas, bass
Worldly Glory - John Elwes, tenor
Madam Wanton - Marie Hayward, soprano
Madam Bubble - Delia Wallis, mezzo-soprano
Pontius Pilate - Christopher Keyte, bass
Usher - Bernard Dickerson, tenor
Lord Hate Good - Raimund Herincx , baritone
Malice - Norma Burrowes, soprano
Pickthank - Alfreda Hodgson, contralto
Superstition - Ian Partridge, tenor
Envy - Richard Angas, bass
A Woodcutter’s Boy - Wendy Eathorne, soprano
Mister By-Ends - Gerald English, tenor
Madam By-Ends - Gloria Jennings, contralto
Three Shepherds - Terence Sharpe, baritone
Wynford Evans, tenor
Robert Lloyd, bass
The Voice of a Bird - Sheila Armstrong, soprano
Celestial Messenger -John Elwes, tenor
Voices from Heaven - Doreen Price, soprano
Jean Temperley, mezzo-soprano
Kenneth Woollam, tenor
London Philharmonic Choir & London Philharmonic Orchestra