Vaughan Williams: Symphonies Nos. 5 & 6

Editorial Reviews
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The Fifth Symphony shares some of its musical material with the opera The Pilgrim's Progress, and the composer dedicated it "without permission" to Sibelius. Indeed the work has something of Sibelius's nature poetry about it, as well as a solemn, almost religious quality in the slow movement. The Sixth, by contrast, is the composer's bleakest and most terrifying work, the second movement being a close relative of Holst's "Mars," from The Planets. There's actually quite a bit of "space" music in this score, not least in the finale, which is played entirely at the lowest possible dynamic level. Leonard Slatkin's performances are among the finest available. --David Hurwitz

Vaughan Williams: Symphonies Nos. 5 & 6, Music, Ralph Vaughan Williams, Leonard Slatkin, Philharmonia Orchestra of London, 20th/21st Century Symphony, Classical, Classical Music, Symphonic

Ralph Vaughan Williams: Symphonies Nos. 3 & 5
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Classic contemplation

I love Vaughan Williams' music. Period.

Powerful and serene V W

Two Extrordinay Symphonies

TRANSCENDENTAL VAUGHAN WILLIAMS

Ralph Vaughan Williams: Symphonies Nos. 3 & 5

Manufacturer: EMI Classics
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

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Vaughan Williams: A London Symphony (original 1913 version) / Butterworth: The Banks of Green Willow - London Symphony Orchestra / Richard Hickox

ASIN: B000002S2P
Release Date: 1991-09-12

Tracks:

A Pastoral Symphony: I. Molto moderato
A Pastoral Symphony: II. Lento moderato
A Pastoral Symphony: III. Moderato pesante
A Pastoral Symphony: IV. Lento
Symphony No. 5 In D: I. Preludio (Moderato)
Symphony No. 5 In D: II. Scherzo (Presto)
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Symphony No. 5 In D: IV. Passacaglia (Moderato)

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These are two of Vaughan Williams's greatest symphonies. (Some think his Fifth is his best.) The Third Symphony (1922), subtitled "The Pastoral Symphony," brings to mind the lush imagery of the English countryside and is filled with heartbreaking melodies. (It was written in part while the composer was in the service in WWI.) His Fifth Symphony (1943) is an outgrowth of the music from his great opera, The Pilgrim's Progress, eventually published in 1951. In part, the symphony is a return to his warmer style, a turn away from the acerbic Fourth Symphony, which the public hated. And, yes, it probably is his greatest symphony. --Paul Cook

Customer Reviews:

Classic contemplation.......2007-01-06

Boult and RVW go way way back, of course, so he offers authoritative performances just about all the time. Here the Pastoral is the better performance, a lovely and sensitive reading of a very elusive work. The Fifth is a little slack, unfortunately, but if you can accept that it's still a warm and loving rendition.

I love Vaughan Williams' music. Period........2004-04-24

The critics really make it hard for those of us who love the music of Ralph Vaughan Williams. It's bad enough that Aaron Copland once said that listening to Vaughan Williams' Symphony No. 5 was like staring at a cow for 45 minutes. It's even worse that Tim Page, music critic for the Washington Post, likened The Lark Ascending--my nomination for the most purely beautiful piece of music ever written--to a lovely but vapid woman you're embarrassed to remember you were once in love with. But the absolutely last straw has been broken: the author of a new, violently condemnatory biography of the late Anthony Burgess uses Burgess' choice of Vaughan Williams for his appearance on the BBC's "Desert Island Discs" as proof positive of the essential mediocrity of Burgess' mind.
OK, maybe I'm mediocre too (and I'd be perfectly happy to be as mediocre as Anthony Burgess!). But I STILL consider Vaughan Williams one of the most remarkable composers of the 20th century, and certainly one of the most consistently delightful. His Third (Pastoral) and Fifth Symphonies have a soulful richness and luminosity few 20th-century works can match, and it's hard to imagine finer or more idiomatic versions of them than those conducted by the late Sir Adrian Boult. Particularly at its mid-level price, this CD is a must for anyone interested in English music.

Powerful and serene V W.......2002-09-25

These are two qualities melted one into another that outline symphony 3 "Pastoral" and 5. The scope is musically generous, rich, while maintaining the substance of everything this composer did. The conducting , as does the playing, is matched or surpassed only by a few peers. Two great pieces with solemn melodies, with dark/light stamina, a disquietude longing for pastoral respite.

Two Extrordinay Symphonies.......2002-03-23

The Third and Fifth symphonies of Vaughan Williams are among his most peaceful and serene of his works. I once heard a commentator on public radio say that he listened to the Fifth symphony before boarding a plane. If the unthinkable happened and the plane when down, he contended that he would be better prepared to accept his death have reached so serene a state. The Fifth was written when Vaughan Williams was in his early 70ýs, and the mood of reflection and peace associated with the music made may think the composer had entered a state of restful reflection. They did not dream that he would write four more symphonies that would prove Vaughan Williams had more fire in him than suspected.

The Third symphony (Pastoral) also has a similar feeling of reflection. It is odd that it was written in France during the First World War while Vaughan Williams was in the ambulance corps. I think of it as hearkening back to a time before the war when the French countryside, now blasted by shells, was a peaceful place.

These recordings are among the best conducted by Sir Adrian Boult, and although they date from the early 1950s they have been so beautifully remastered that it will not matter they are not digital recordings. The subtle orchestral shadings in both symphonies are magical and have rarely been caught so precisely. A must for those interested in Vaughan Williamsýs music.

TRANSCENDENTAL VAUGHAN WILLIAMS.......2001-07-19

I remember my first encounter with Vaughan Williams; it was, of course, his Symphony No. 2 ("London")--- and doesn't it always seem to be THIS particular symphony, especially when you're young, like I was, and open to music you may never have heard. Naturally, I thought it was grand, and it is. As is his Symphony No. 7 ("Sinfonia Antartica"), which I discovered soon afterwards and also felt thrilled by. As a novice, I fell easily under the accessibility of these works--- and the spells they cast. I would never give up this period of some thirty years ago, or the hunger that drove me to search out more and more music, or the growth that it incurred.

However, time and age intervene, as they are apt to do, and our vision widens, our experience broadens, life, with its diverse pleasure and pain, enables us or forces us to open ourselves even further. Thus I came to VW's Symphonies No.'s 3 and 5, not because I had never heard them or owned them. To the contrary, I collected three complete sets of the VW Symphonies, in my LP days, the Boult included; but I never REALLY heard them. And these two symphonies in particular never really "touched" me... barely even listened to them... until now, years and years later.

Now they float over my soul like the dusk of a late autumn afternoon--- when my heart is filled with the wonder and puzzlement of seasons, years, decades gone by--- and the spirit, too, admits that the evening shadows are indeed growing longer and suddenly the sense of things past becomes an intense, yearning nostalgia. [I wish that in my twenties I had had, emotionally, what I do now in my early fifties--- and the wisdom to go hand-in-hand with it! But those regrets are better left for another time.]

With the ageless Sir Adrian at the podium, Vaughan Williams' Symphonies 3 and 5 are as beautiful, and bountiful, a coupling as one could wish for--- and in peerless performances like these, they bring tears to the eyes.

From the haunting opening bars of the "Pastoral," so reminiscent of "The Lark Ascending," we are enveloped by such a languid melancholy, lulled pervasively into such a womb-like and secure "place," that the temptation to stay "in the moment" is more than simply an overpowering desire: it is a need that arises from the innermost part of us. Boult's flowing sense of orchestral color, nuance and detail, his hushed and ethereal handling of VW's mournfully heartfelt passages, his complete and utter sympathy with composition and composer--- all --- make this "Pastoral" something that beggars description.

And the Fifth Symphony? This is, absolutely, VW's greatest achievement and, at that point in his life, the synthesis of everything he was--- and the promise of everything he would, as we know, become. What an ebb and flow exist in this work! What glorious swells of lyricism and emotion wash over us; what an all-surrounding atmosphere encompasses! Like a spiritual "sister" to the "Pastoral," listening to the Fifth Symphony is like drinking from the wellspring of life--- and becoming as one renewed, reborn --- a powerfil simile for one of the symphonic milestones of the twentieth century.

EMI has joined together VW's most wonderous of symphonies and, under the baton of Sir Adrian (with grand sound from both the New Philharmonia and London Philharmonic), has secured a definitive place in the VW catalogue for both on this most magnificent of CDs.

[Running time: 71:28]

Vaughan Williams: Symphonies Nos. 3 "Pastoral" & 5

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The highest degree

Vaughan Williams: Symphonies Nos. 3 "Pastoral" & 5

Manufacturer: Karussell
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

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Customer Reviews:

The highest degree.......2003-10-05

These performances of two great symphonies by Brit composer Vaughan Williams are part of the legendary Decca sessions, from the early 1950's. The fact that it was recorded inside a very good sounding Kingsway Hall did help even if we're talking of monophonic sound. Producers John Culshaw and Ken Wilkinson were doing great things in those days. The composer was present at the sessions, thus giving the recordings a sort of 'endorsement' if you will. There never was--and there will never be--a better version of the Fifth Symphony. The momentum, playing, conducting and accuracy of the recording itself all conspired to produce an account worthy of cult status. The highest degree in musicality, this is what Sir Adrian Boult and the London Philharmonic Orchestra did achieve ; and the results are even better than my current favourite--Boult's 1960s version on EMI (also with the London Philharmonic Orchestra). After all, the old recordings of the Third and Fifth symphonies belong to the 'Golden Age' of mono and stereo, the 'Kennedy-era', which created many legends and was rarely surpassed since then. Among the pioneering deeds regarding the Symphony No.5, Sir John Barbirolli's wartime recording (1944), with his relatively modest but dexterous Halle Orchestra, remains an exceptional reading, one with grandeur and solemn grace. And I do not think the latter betters, on all counts, Boult's legendary performance. For sure, Barbirolli's is also worthy of the term 'legendary' but some sonic limitations play havoc with the 1944 Halle recording. From a musical standpoint, the Philharmonia's effort, from 1962 (again with Barbirolli at the helm), is also very good--it is a superb reading--but does not equal, or let alone approach, his own Halle. All things considered, I still prefer Boult's 1960s LPO account over the 1962 Philharmonia (both released by EMI), perhaps just the way I favoured Boult's 1953 recording over the 1944 Barbirolli. Great 'modern-day recordings' of the Fifth Symphony include a splendid Thomson/LSO on Chandos, as well as a classic Vernon Handley/RLPO and the gorgeous Previn/RPO (on Telarc). I do NOT care for the Haitink/LPO (EMI). The ever fascinating Third Symphony ("Pastoral") received a very decent interpretation from Boult (1950's), but here I do prefer his arguably unsurpassed version for EMI--with the New Philharmonia Orchestra. In any case, the "Pastoral" probably never 'sounded' better than under Boult, above all his two 1960s versions (the other was done with the BBC Symphony Orchestra), not forgetting a very fine version from Vernon Handley (RLPO, EMI Records). Get this one for the Fifth, above all, it is essential VW.

Vaughn Williams: Symphonies Nos. 5 and 9

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great sounding, great music
A Revelation -- Exquisite Symphonism

Vaughn Williams: Symphonies Nos. 5 and 9

Manufacturer: Naxos
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

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ASIN: B00000I6I9
Release Date: 1999-01-19

Tracks:

Symphony No. 5 in D major: Preludio: Moderato - Allegro - Tempo I
Symphony No. 5 in D major: Scherzo: Presto misterioso
Symphony No. 5 in D major: Romanza: Lento
Symphony No. 5 in D major: Passacaglia: Moderato
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Symphony No. 9 In E Minor: Andante sostenuto
Symphony No. 9 In E Minor: Scherzo: Allegro pesante
Symphony No. 9 In E Minor: Andante tranquillo

Customer Reviews:

great sounding, great music.......2001-09-23

I was only familiar with Vaughan Williams from his shorter pieces like my favorite, Fantasia on a theme by Tom Tallis -- this is my first listen to his symphonies. So far, I'm enthralled. These two recordings are tremendous -- great music well played. I suppose you could say that Williams' signature style is beautiful renditions of subtlely blended and harmonized music. What most critics leave out is his sense of drama -- while bucolic in parts, these symphonies have sections that can blow you away! Keep in mind he did many film scores as well so these pieces sometimes have a cinematic quality to them. A great CD.

A Revelation -- Exquisite Symphonism.......2000-12-09

The performance recorded on this disc was a revelation to me. For years I had enjoyed the "briefer" Vaughan Williams: his contributions to the English Hymnal, the odd chamber piece, the "Folk Song Suite" for band. But over the years, whenever I listened to recordings of the symphonies, I never cared for any of them. Not a one. Ever.

And I gave them a try from time to time, because good musical friends of mine held them in very high regard. Nothing.

Until listening to the Bournemouth Symphony on this disc.

The orchestra sounds wonderful, and the group and conductor Kees Bakels together give these great two symphonies what has been easily the most sympathetic, most compelling, most achingly appropriate reading ever to fall on my ears.

===================

Customer Reviews:

Barbirolli's Interpretation of RVW's 5th still tops!.......1998-12-02

Sir John, a personal acquaintance of Ralph Vaughan Williams, knew, more than any other, what was in the mind of the composer when he wrote the beautiful 5th symphony. Other than Sir Adrian Boult, who also recorded a stunning performance, no one knew the thoughts that raced through RVW's mind as the end neared of England's involvement in World War II. The composer's predictions that the world would once again be a safer place, and there would once again be harmony, are seemingly predicted in this work! Barbirolli captures the mind of RVW with this "to-the-text" interpretation. Barbirolli's command of the Halle Orchestra only examplfies that ensemble's understanding of the English mind in music. Since this was first recorded in the early 60's, it is second to none and only Sir Adrian can come close!

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Beautiful contrasts

Vaughan Williams: Symphonies Nos. 5 & 6

Manufacturer: RCA
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

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Vaughan Williams: Symphonies Nos. 3 & 4; Fantasia on Greensleeves

ASIN: B000003F21
Release Date: 1991-11-09

Tracks:

Sym No.5 in D: Prld: Moderato
Sym No.5 in D: Scherzo: Presto Misterioso
Sym No.5 in D: Romanza: Lento
Sym No.5 in D: Passacaglia: Moderato
Sym No.6 in e: Allegro
Sym No.6 in e: Moderato
Sym No.6 in e: Scherzo: Allegro Vivace
Sym No.6 in e: Epilogue: Moderato

Amazon.com

The Fifth Symphony shares some of its musical material with the opera The Pilgrim's Progress, and the composer dedicated it "without permission" to Sibelius. Indeed the work has something of Sibelius's nature poetry about it, as well as a solemn, almost religious quality in the slow movement. The Sixth, by contrast, is the composer's bleakest and most terrifying work, the second movement being a close relative of Holst's "Mars," from The Planets. There's actually quite a bit of "space" music in this score, not least in the finale, which is played entirely at the lowest possible dynamic level. Leonard Slatkin's performances are among the finest available. --David Hurwitz

Customer Reviews:

Beautiful contrasts.......2007-02-13

I can't believe this hasn't been reviewed yet on Amazon!!!

The string playing is stunning. There is no other word for it. This is especially true in I of the 5th symphony, which has to rank as one of the most beautiful renditions in the catalogue. The contrast of the 6th symphony on the disc is welcomed, and Slatkin and his forces perform it to a fare-thee-well.

The engineering is a bit recessed, like most of Slatkin's RCA recordings. Crank up the volume a little bit, and you get a gorgeous sound picture, though.

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