The Passions of Vaughan Williams

[Guest]

Whilst others were listening to (or viewing part of) the Proms opening night, with its four conductors competing for pole position on the Albert Hall podium, I was watching this 90 minute documentary on the life, loves and works of Ralph Vaughan Williams on BBC4 TV.

Absolutely fascinating!

I learnt so much about this, one of our greatest composers, and in my view, it far outshone any of the previous documentaries on other composers which I have seen in the past.

Candid and outspoken, but never sordid or salacious (like those Ken Russell biogs). A good mix of interviews, archive photographs and extracts from his major works; linked into one by good narration and direction.

I think all music fans, not just RVW enthusiasts, would enjoy watching this programme, which is available now on the BBC iPlayer.

I'm currently recording this on a brand new tape to keep in my own archives.

Hornspieler

[Bax-of-Delights]

I watched it too HS.

Was it a re-run as I saw the date of the recording as 2007?

Marvellous.

[Pabmusic]

I watched it too HS.

Was it a re-run as I saw the date of the recording as 2007?

Marvellous.

Yes. It's the very fine first composer documentary by John Bridcut. It's been broadcast several times.

[aka Calum Da Jazbo]

me too and it made the proms bits i saw seem insipid at best in comparison

[BBMmk2]

I saw this last time it was shown it will be well worth watching again though, on iplayer.

At the moment BBC4, on a Friday night sem to be showing very good programmes!!

[salymap]

It's been on several times and I recorded it last time. Nice to see Ursula for the last time though.

[AmpH]

Whilst others were listening to (or viewing part of) the Proms opening night, with its four conductors competing for pole position on the Albert Hall podium, I was watching this 90 minute documentary on the life, loves and works of Ralph Vaughan Williams on BBC4 TV.

Absolutely fascinating!

I learnt so much about this, one of our greatest composers, and in my view, it far outshone any of the previous documentaries on other composers which I have seen in the past.

Candid and outspoken, but never sordid or salacious (like those Ken Russell biogs). A good mix of interviews, archive photographs and extracts from his major works; linked into one by good narration and direction.

I think all music fans, not just RVW enthusiasts, would enjoy watching this programme, which is available now on the BBC iPlayer.

I'm currently recording this on a brand new tape to keep in my own archives.

Hornspieler

Thanks for flagging this up HS. I haven't seen this yet so will definitely be catching up with it on iPlayer.

[Ariosto]

I would agree with you HS - I saw it some time ago. A very interesting and well made piece of work. (I'm still not a great fan of RVW's musak though!!)

[BBMmk2]

Oh Ariosto!how could you say that? Mind you, though, each to their own, eh?

[Ferretfancy]

Oh Ariosto!how could you say that? Mind you, though, each to their own, eh?

Ariosto raises an interesting question. When I was in my teens, Vaughan Williams was still alive, and deeply revered. We sang his hymn tunes in school, and hosted a performance of The Shepherds of the Delectable Mountains in the chapel. I have vivid memories of seeing the old man taking a bow at the Proms, and at the London premiere of his 8th. It's more difficult today to sense the enormous affection that was felt for him at a time when many found Britten a cheeky young iconoclast. VW absolutely was English music in his lifetime.

I still love his music, but listen to it a little less frequently than I did. Not all his works "carry" very well today, The Sea Symphony, for example. Others, like Sancta Civitas deserve to be heard more often. I wonder, does growing up with a composer from an early age make a big difference? I find it harder to warm to the new nowadays, less willing to explore.

[Ariosto]

Ariosto raises an interesting question. When I was in my teens, Vaughan Williams was still alive, and deeply revered. We sang his hymn tunes in school, and hosted a performance of The Shepherds of the Delectable Mountains in the chapel. I have vivid memories of seeing the old man taking a bow at the Proms, and at the London premiere of his 8th. It's more difficult today to sense the enormous affection that was felt for him at a time when many found Britten a cheeky young iconoclast. VW absolutely was English music in his lifetime.

I still love his music, but listen to it a little less frequently than I did. Not all his works "carry" very well today, The Sea Symphony, for example. Others, like Sancta Civitas deserve to be heard more often. I wonder, does growing up with a composer from an early age make a big difference? I find it harder to warm to the new nowadays, less willing to explore.

When I were a student centuries ago RVW was held in high regard, and some (even many) of my contemporaries idiolized him. Some still do.

But I was never that taken, and I only played some of his viola music because the repertoir was limited and not because I liked it. Likewise the orchestral repertoir, only because I was paid to play it. I did however love, from an early age (probably about 13 or so), Lark Ascending, and still do to this day, although I don't play it.

I have in fact purchased some RVW CD's (Symphony No 5 for example) on the grounds that it must be me. But I still get no pleasure from most of his music. In fact I played some awful chamber piece recently for cor anglais and string quartet - only because people wanted to do it (well, the oboist mostly) - and I still felt the same way. And I did think it very badly written to boot!! So I am a no hoper ...

[ardcarp]

Ariosto. One man's poisson, etc. I had rather the reverse experience. In my student days (more or less centuries ago than yours?) RVW just didn't figure amongst the academics. I, on the other hand, who came to his music via the choral route (boy and man), loved it...and still do. The Bridcut programme was excellent; I saw it on a previous outing

[salymap]

Ariosto raises an interesting question. When I was in my teens, Vaughan Williams was still alive, and deeply revered. We sang his hymn tunes in school, and hosted a performance of The Shepherds of the Delectable Mountains in the chapel. I have vivid memories of seeing the old man taking a bow at the Proms, and at the London premiere of his 8th. It's more difficult today to sense the enormous affection that was felt for him at a time when many found Britten a cheeky young iconoclast. VW absolutely was English music in his lifetime.

I still love his music, but listen to it a little less frequently than I did. Not all his works "carry" very well today, The Sea Symphony, for example. Others, like Sancta Civitas deserve to be heard more often. I wonder, does growing up with a composer from an early age make a big difference? I find it harder to warm to the new nowadays, less willing to explore.

Growing up with a composer around makes a great deal of difference IMO. As I'vesaid [too] many times RVW was a frequent visitor/customer at Goodwin & Tabb in the late 40s to his death. In fact he had visited us before that, accompanied by Holst, who had the Planets first published by our firm.

Our main problem was to treat him as an ordinary man, ordering his special mss paper. He was surprisingly modest, very deaf, and insisted on queueing if not rescued by someone. His chauffeur waited down in Dean Street and RVW was always helped into the lift by someof the lads as he was extremely large. Many famous conductors and composers called but,I'm glad to say that at 18 I realised he was one of the greats,as he still is to me.

And yes Ferret, itis hard to 'warm' to more recent works - I even left Bruckner too late as he needs good hearing and patience I don't now have.

[Serial_Apologist]

I even left Bruckner too late as he needs good hearing and patience I don't now have.

There was I thinking ones patience improved the, er, older one got.

[Mary Chambers]

It's more difficult today to sense the enormous affection that was felt for him at a time when many found Britten a cheeky young iconoclast. VW absolutely was English music in his lifetime.

I still love his music, but listen to it a little less frequently than I did. Not all his works "carry" very well today, The Sea Symphony, for example. Others, like Sancta Civitas deserve to be heard more often. I wonder, does growing up with a composer from an early age make a big difference? I find it harder to warm to the new nowadays, less willing to explore.

I grew up with 'the cheeky young iconoclast', and it's difficult today to sense how central he was to English music at the time, and how much he was a central figure in English culture (both high and more generally - even to the extent of having his house discussed in women's magazines!). I do think remembering a composer and seeing his works emerge makes a difference.

I suppose every cheeky youngster, and every central figure, is replaced eventually, but I find it very difficult to see who that central figure is today.

(I have an affection for the Sea Symphony and some of RVW's songs, by the way.)