Browse: SACD, Vaughan Williams (composer)
Vaughan Williams & James Macmillan: Oboe Concertos
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Nicholas Daniel (oboe & conductor), Nicholas Daniel (oboe), Nicholas Daniel (cor anglais)
Britten Sinfonia, James MacMillan
[Daniel] tends to let the tempo slacken when the harmonic pulse slows down [on the Vaughan Williams]...it's hard to complain when that leaves more space for his consistently golden tone...MacMillan... — More…
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Vaughan Williams: Sinfonia Antartica, etc.
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Mari Eriksmoen (soprano), Louis Lortie, Hélène Mercier (pianos), Roderick Williams (baritone)
Bergen Philharmonic Orchestra, Sir Andrew Davis
Either [Lortie] or Hélène Mercier could probably polish off the original [Concerto] by themselves, but their partnership develops its intensity without strain, particularly attractive in rich... — More…
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a performance of striking composure, lustre and palpable dedication. Not only do the Bergen Philharmonic respond with notable poise and eagerness (solo contributions are of the highest quality... — More…
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Vaughan Williams: The Blue Bird, Norfolk Rhapsodies & Music for an EFDS Masque
Royal Scottish National Orchestra, Martin Yates
Yates and the RSNO are admirably chipper exponents…Yates’s idiomatic orchestration of the composer’s handwritten piano score [for The Blue Bird] falls most agreeably on the ear…In summary, a... — More…
Vaughan Williams: Orchestral Works
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Louis Lortie (piano), Carla Huhtanen (soprano), Emily D’Angelo (mezzo-soprano), Lawrence Wiliford (tenor) & Tyler Duncan (baritone), Sarah Jeffrey (oboe), Teng Li (viola)
Toronto Symphony Orchestra, Elmer Iseler Singers, Peter Oundjian
The solo playing by Toronto Symphony principal Teng Li offers deep weight of tone, rapturous phrasing, and a musical personality that mesmerises the ear; the choral singing is superbly focused... — More…
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Vaughan Williams: Scott of the Antarctic – complete score
Ilona Domnich (soprano), Christopher Nickol (organ), Women of the Scottish National Orchestra Chorus (chorus)
Royal Scottish National Orchestra, Martin Yates
Yates conducts with appropriate majesty, his slow tempos very close to Ernest Irvin’s in the film. The RSNO and chorus are in powerful form, and Ilona Domnich contributes a strikingly eerie... — More…
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Vaughan Williams: A Sea Symphony
Susan Gritton (soprano) & Gerald Finley (baritone)
London Symphony Orchestra and Chorus, Richard Hickox
The choral singing is as alert and secure as one would expect from Hickox, and the balance with the orchestra is well judged too… Gerald Finley…a noble, warm-toned baritone soloist… — More…
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On Christmas Night
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Carols from St John’s College, Cambridge
John Challenger (organ)
The Choir of St John’s College, Cambridge, Andrew Nethsingha
The collective vocal heft of the ensemble's young choral scholars remains a potent weapon under Andrew Nethsinga's direction. He's a man of musical refinement, however, one ready and able to... — More…
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Vaughan Williams: On Wenlock Edge & Ten Blake Songs
Mark Padmore (tenor), Nicholas Daniel (oboe), Nicholas Daniel (cor anglais)
Britten Sinfonia (members), Huw Watkins (piano), Jacqueline Shave
Edge, rather than lyrical elegance, is Mark Padmore's expressive strength, combined with his superb diction...I've never heard [the Blake Songs] come across so convincingly...Lavish praise too... — More…
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Fantasies, Rhapsodies and Daydreams
Arabella Steinbacher (violin)
Orchestre Philharmonique de Monte-Carlo, Lawrence Foster
This recital is something of a triumph for violinist Arabella Steinbacher. [Waxman’s Carmen Fantasy] is finger-cripplingly difficult, and…Steinbacher makes it sound like a neat-masterpiece…saving... — More…