Vaughan Williams Symphony No 9

[EdgeleyRob]

ER's championing of this symphony elsewhere on these boards caused me to give it a whirl (4 times in the last 48 hours). I never got on with this work. Hadn't played it repeatedly since about 1993 (!?). I still don't get it

I have been playing the EMI Boult. Will try the Decca Boult, see if that goes any better. If it doesn't, I may not bother getting the Handley off the shelf.

The RVW 9th means so much to me.
It's got everything,life,death,bleak landscape,the big city,countryside,the beginning of time,the universe,it's one of my best friends.....not normal I know....can't live without it.....NURSE !!!

Did I mention it's got the best ending of any symphony ever?

[Pabmusic]

According to the Boult discography in John Hunt's "Musical Knights," the Hindemith 'Weber Metamorphoses' was recorded but has never been issued in any format. Only the Symphony in Eb came out, making it at 29 minutes one of the shortest CDs that Everest ever released.

Yes - it seems never to have been released. I don't know why. Perhaps something needed to be redone and they never got round to it, It was an American company - Belock (Everest) - recording in London, so it may not have been easy to arrange an extra session. But they still had the session on 26 August (RVW 9) and a two-day session in November (RVW Job), so I'm not sure.

[BBMmk2]

I enjoyed the concert that was played by the BBCSSO/Manze. I cant wait to see if Manze will record a cycle of his symphonies!

[Barbirollians]

The first performance was at the Royal Philharmonic Society concert in 1958. Sargent was conductor of the RP Society, so it was inevitable. The question I don't know the answer to was why it was premiered at that concert - was it a Royal Philharmonic Society commission?

Yes I remembered that it was at the society after I posted but I also cannot remeber if it was a commission .

[seabright]

According to the bio of Sargent by Charles Reid, RVW himself chose Sargent for the 9th's premiere and, if memory serves, Michael Kennedy has related that RVW felt that as Boult and Barbirolli has already given several of his symphonies their first performances, this time round it was Malcolm's turn. By the way, the RVW9 premiere is on You Tube so click and have a listen ...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LiJHg6ZbVG8

It's curious that Sargent never made any commercial recordings of any of RVW's symphonies because his 'live' performances on CD were splendid. He conducted a terrific No. 4 with the BBCSO at the 1963 Proms (it was coupled with Stokowski's RVW8 from the following year's Proms on 'BBC Radio Classics'), a "Sea Symphony" full of panache on the same label from 1965, and a first-rate "London Symphony" from 1967 with the Chicago SO in one of their boxed sets. That RVW2 was from one of the last concerts he ever conducted and ought to be issued singly so that it gets wider coverage. The Chicago musicians knew he was dying so they played their hearts out for him and it shows in their performance.

[secondfiddle]

Really good to follow the Ninth Symphony with RVW's wonderful Five Tudor Portraits the next evening. For me in the Jane Scroop movement we have VW's most beautiful passages. A marvellous work, and all praise to John Wilson for really enterprising programme planning, including Walton's Scapino Overture (not often heard) and York Bowen's Viola Concerto.

[Barbirollians]

I have got to know the piece through the Haitink recording and it is magnificent to my ears - as indeed is his whole set.

[amateur51]

I have got to know the piece through the Haitink recording and it is magnificent to my ears - as indeed is his whole set.

[ferneyhoughgeliebte]

Seconded!

Can't think why I left this out of my list of favourite recordings of the Ninth. Well, I can, but it would be kinder not to speculate .

[Nick Armstrong]

The RVW 9th means so much to me.
It's got everything,life,death,bleak landscape,the big city,countryside,the beginning of time,the universe,it's one of my best friends.....not normal I know....can't live without it.....NURSE !!!

Did I mention it's got the best ending of any symphony ever?

Rob - hope you've clocked this tomorrow on RR:

11.45am – Disc of the Week
VAUGHAN WILLIAMS: Job - A Masque for Dancing; Symphony No. 9 in E minor
Bergen Philharmonic Orchestra, Sir Andrew Davis (conductor)
CHANDOS CHSA5180 (Hybrid SACD)

I know Job means a lot to you as well - me too.

Kind of hoping Job gets an airing tomorrow, tbh.... At 33'30 or so, the symphony might stretch the time slot, whereas they might find it preferable to choose some of the Job movement. Generous disc - 77'29" in all

[Barbirollians]

Sir Andrew Davis - no thanks . I regard him as probably the most overrated conductor of all time . Extraordinarily bumptious at the Last Night of The Proms in particular .

[Alison]

A good chance to sample the Davis. You could just about imagine the Bergen orchestra, the Chandos sound and Sir Andrew's direction producing something rather bland.

[Andrew Slater]

Kind of hoping Job gets an airing tomorrow, tbh.... At 33'30 or so, the symphony might stretch the time slot, whereas they might find it preferable to choose some of the Job movement. Generous disc - 77'29" in all

This might well happen, judging from the wording in the RR newsletter:

11.45am - Disc of the Week
'Job: a masque for dancing’ is the ballet from 1930 based on William Blake’s ‘Illustrations of the Book of Job’, and in this recording Sir Andrew Davis makes an impressive sound with the Bergen Philharmonic Orchestra.

Vaughan Williams: Job & Symphony No. 9
VAUGHAN WILLIAMS: Job - A Masque for Dancing; Symphony No. 9 in E minor
Bergen Philharmonic Orchestra, Sir Andrew Davis (conductor)
CHANDOS CHSA5180 (Hybrid SACD)

[BBMmk2]

Oh my goodness! Some people's views of Sir Andrew Davis! I thought he did very well at the Proms, especially LNOP! Ah well, c'est la vie!

Looking forward to hearing this new disc. I am glad Chandos are completing this RVW cycle.

[cloughie]

Oh my goodness! Some people's views of Sir Andrew Davis! I thought he did very well at the Proms, especially LNOP! Ah well, c'est la vie!

Looking forward to hearing this new disc. I am glad Chandos are completing this RVW cycle.

In general I like Sir Andrew's work but I was disappointed with his Warner RVW set, particularly Job. I think that when there are already so many good, even excellent recordings of the symphony cycle any new addition has to be outstanding. There is perhaps room for a sparkling Job - let's hope this new one is the one.