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Ralph Vaughan Williams question

post #1 of 15
1/29/07 at 3:31pm
Thread Starter 
If one were to pick up a boxed set of Williams material, would one be better served by the Vernon Handley set or the stereo Adrian Boult set, and why?

Thanks for any opinions rendered!
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post #2 of 15
1/30/07 at 9:08am

Re: Ralph Vaughan Williams question

Aaron, Sir Adrian Boult was considered the standard in interpreting the music of his close friend, Ralph Vaughan-Williams (the last name is Vaughan-Williams). Though his masterful recordings of Vaughan-Williams's nine symphonies and various other orchestral and choral works for EMI/Angel are indeed "old" (i.e., from the '60s and '70s), they are the definitive interpretations of the British composer's work.

(Andre Previn, interestingly, did some really nice Vaughan-Williams performances on RCA, as well.)
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post #3 of 15
1/30/07 at 4:41pm

Re: Ralph Vaughan Williams question

I don't know the Handley set but I would agree that the "conventional wisdom" is to go with Boult. Although I have about 6 copies of the Tallis Fantasia.....

Where the heck are these two boxed set offered? Exactly which works are included? I'm used to buying "Raif" on a per-disc basis.
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post #4 of 15
1/30/07 at 6:10pm

Re: Ralph Vaughan Williams question

I'd be interested in these box sets as well. I like to pick and choose my Vaughan Williams, though. I have individual recordings from Boult (1), Handley (6&9), Slatkin (3&4), Hickox (2), Haitink (5), and Bakels (7&8).

Jack, give us some thoughts on Boult versus some of the other recordings, particularly as it relates to sound quality. I'm a little hesitant to plunk down some dough on older recordings, though clearly Boult is the man when it comes to 'composer intent.'
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post #5 of 15
1/31/07 at 8:58am

Re: Ralph Vaughan Williams question

Jan, the audio quality of the Boult recordings is sufficient, in my opinion. I'll respond more thoroughly later today. JB
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post #6 of 15
1/31/07 at 10:16am

Re: Ralph Vaughan Williams question

I'm still not sure which boxed sets we are discussing.

There's no boxed set of all VW's music, although Amazon lists a boxed set of the symphonies by Boult:
http://www.amazon.com/Vaughan-Willia...id=1170267266/

I see no recordings at all by a Tod Handley, although Vernon Handley is a prominent VW conductor.
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post #7 of 15
1/31/07 at 10:23am
Thread Starter 

Re: Ralph Vaughan Williams question

I found a number of complete RVW symphony sets on Amazon (my bad on "Tod" Handley -- I think I subconsciously copied that from an Amazon review that mixed up the name). All of them aside from the Boult mono set that Dennis linked include extra material beyond just the symphonies.

There are two Boult sets (mono Decca and stereo EMI), the Handley Classics for Pleasure set, a Haitink EMI set, and a Previn RCA set. I went ahead and ordered the stereo Boult set based on some recommendations from various people (thanks Jack & Dennis!).

If you go to Amazon and search on "vaughan williams symphonies," they should all turn up.
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post #8 of 15
1/31/07 at 12:24pm

Re: Ralph Vaughan Williams question

Wow! A thread on Vaughan-Williams, who'd a thunk?

I have recordings by both Boult and Previn and I find both to be excellent. My first introduction to Vaughan-Williams was while shopping in a record store when I was in college and his "Pastoral" symphony was playing in the background. A purchase was immediatly made. To this day, his "Fantasia on a Theme of Thomas Tallis" gives me goose bumps. I've only heard it live once at a Proms concert back in 1987.
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post #9 of 15
1/31/07 at 1:03pm

Re: Ralph Vaughan Williams question

Michael, have you listened to his seventh symphony, the Sinfonia Antartica (Antarctica, of course, is misspelled in the symphony's title)? Otherworldly. How otherworldly? A well-known director by name of Stanley Kubrick would use the Vaughan-Williams music as a soundtrack when screening the rushes for a little movie he was making for release in 1968.
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post #10 of 15
1/31/07 at 1:28pm

Re: Ralph Vaughan Williams question

Kubrick used VW in Clockwork Orange?

Quote:
A thread on Vaughan-Williams, who'd a thunk?

We even spelled it right. I recall getting an email from a friend who asked me who this "Von Williams" guy was that he just heard on the radio.
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post #11 of 15
1/31/07 at 2:34pm
Thread Starter 

Re: Ralph Vaughan Williams question

To be honest, I heard the Tallis Fantasia on the radio last week and thought "I've gotta check out this Von Williams guy!"

I looked it up online by the name of the piece, and smacked my forehead when I saw the appropriate spelling -- I knew of Vaughan Wiliams, but somehow didn't put it together when I heard the name on the radio.
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post #12 of 15
1/31/07 at 7:09pm

Re: Ralph Vaughan Williams question

Jack is referring to 2001, a little movie about not much at all . Symphony Antartica is my favorite work by VW, by the way. I love my Bakels recording, so let's hear JB's take on why Boult is preferable. Do tell, Jack.

And I, like Jack, feel that 2001: a space odyssey is the greatest film ever made.

Sorry, after reading Dennis's post more closely, I'm sure he knew that Jack wasn't referring to A Clockwork Orange, he was referring to Napoleon.
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post #13 of 15
2/1/07 at 9:20am

Re: Ralph Vaughan Williams question

Jan, I do not think that 2001 is, bar-none, the "greatest" film ever made -- just very close to it (). And, yes, Dennis knew -- he's just ribbing me (we go back a ways). As for Sir Adrian Boult, all I can suggest is that you listen to some of his Vaughan-Williams interpretations. But I still suggest that people check out Andre Previn's work also -- his take on Vaughan-Williams's sixth symphony is stunning.
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post #14 of 15
2/1/07 at 10:24am

Re: Ralph Vaughan Williams question

As is true with many works, differing conductors/orchestras may illuminate different facets of a work. I checked my rack and found only 3 copies of the Tallis Fantasia right now:

Maurice Abravanel/Utah Symphony on Vanguard Hybrid SACD
Herbert Vaughan Karajan/Philharmonia on EMI (oops, better make that Von Karajan...)
Leonard Slatkin/St. Louis Symphony on Telarc

Each brings something to the table. I've owned the Abravanel performance back to my LP days, and the emphasis on counterpoint and antiphony makes this a worthy interpretation. Herbie focuses on texture and adds lots of funky accelerando - it ends up sounding like Wagner. Slatkin is somewhere in the middle but with a great technical recording of a very good orchestra.

Incidentally, the antiphonal nature of this work would make it a knock-out candidate for a great performance natively recorded in DSD for a multichannel SACD. Sony, are you listening?

For those of you wondering who that Thomas Tallis character was, try the copy of his Spem in Alium (a motet for 40 voices written circa 1556-1573) performed by the Tallis Scholars on the Gimell lable.
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post #15 of 15
2/1/07 at 12:18pm

Re: Ralph Vaughan Williams question

Quote:
Michael, have you listened to his seventh symphony, the Sinfonia Antartica (Antarctica, of course, is misspelled in the symphony's title)? Otherworldly. How otherworldly? A well-known director by name of Stanley Kubrick would use the Vaughan-Williams music as a soundtrack when screening the rushes for a little movie he was making for release in 1968.

Yes I have. A great work. And that little movie is also in my top ten. Nice bit of trivia regarding Kubrick's use of the work. Any idea what scenes he used the music for? Wouldn't mind revisiting the film with that music in mind.

(Off topic - Big Kubrick retrospective at the AFI in Silver Spring, MD. Can't wait.)
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