Vaughan Williams: The symphonies

[Stanfordian]

I just received the reissued 6 CD RCA set of RVW symphonies with Andre Previn conducting the LSO. I like it as much as Boult's second cycle. Wonderful stuff!

[BBMmk2]

I just received the reissued 6 CD RCA set of RVW symphonies with Andre Previn conducting the LSO. I like it as much as Boult's second cycle. Wonderful stuff!

I must get mine!! :)

[Eine Alpensinfonie]

RVW might well have approved. He was insistent about "Antarctica", only agreeing to change it at the very last minute (letter to Roy Douglas, January 5th, 1953 - the first performance was January 14th).

Here's correspondence between RVW and Alan Frank of OUP. Note where Frank's criticisms originated - a sort of 1952 equivalent of the Radio 3 Forum (Pedants' Paradise) perhaps:

Frank (December 23rd 1952):

... the pundits at the Radio Times say, and I feel they are probably right, that Sinfonia Antarctica is in no known language! 'Sinfonia' is Italian and 'Antarctica' is Latin, the Italian being 'Antartica' without the 'c': while the Latin for Symphony is 'Symphonia'. I said I thought you would probably stick to the present title, but promised to put it to you. It doesn't worry me either way.

RVW (December 31st):

I think we will stick to 'Antarctica', even if it is bad Italian. It ought to be good and it is their fault if it is not. I named it 'Sinfonia' on the lines of the 'Sinfonia Domestica', though I hope the work has no other likeness to that!

Pabs, as ever you are a mine of information.

[Eine Alpensinfonie]

I just received the reissued 6 CD RCA set of RVW symphonies with Andre Previn conducting the LSO. I like it as much as Boult's second cycle. Wonderful stuff!

Simply the best, with fine contributions from Heather Harper.

[ferneyhoughgeliebte]

Pabs, as ever you are a mine of information.

[CallMePaul]

Simply the best, with fine contributions from Heather Harper.

... but also spoken texts from Sir Ralph Richardson! The composer did not intend the superscriptions to be spoken and no recent recording has used a narrator. Sorry, but this rules it out for me (I'm happy with Haitink anyway)

[ferneyhoughgeliebte]

... but also spoken texts from Sir Ralph Richardson! The composer did not intend the superscriptions to be spoken and no recent recording has used a narrator. Sorry, but this rules it out for me (I'm happy with Hasitink anyway)

The whole set?

Interesting point, though. A question to those who've got the set already - are the spoken superscriptions given on separate tracks (so that they can be programmed out) or is it all or nothing?

[Pulcinella]

The whole set?

Interesting point, though. A question to those who've got the set already - are the spoken superscriptions given on separate tracks (so that they can be programmed out) or is it all or nothing?

Separate tracks in the 2003 set: 10 tracks for the symphony; 14 tracks on the whole CD (including number 8), CD 6 of the set.

[ferneyhoughgeliebte]

Separate tracks in the 2003 set: 10 tracks for the symphony; 14 tracks on the whole CD (including number 8), CD 6 of the set.

- no problemco, then!

[Eine Alpensinfonie]

... but also spoken texts from Sir Ralph Richardson! The composer did not intend the superscriptions to be spoken and no recent recording has used a narrator. Sorry, but this rules it out for me (I'm happy with Hasitink anyway)

Probably not, though John Gielgud does read them in the HIPP Boult recording approved by the composer in 1953, though they were not in Barbirolli's world premiere recording form the same year. In my pressing, the Gielgud-read superscriptions are not on separate tracks, but they are on all CD versions of the Ralph Richardson/Previn recording. As far as I know, these two were we the only recordings to include them.

[Pulcinella]

- no problemco, then!

....so long as the latest reissue keeps the same tracking breakdown!



PS: Alpie's response would suggest that it has!

[Eine Alpensinfonie]

....so long as the latest reissue keeps the same tracking breakdown!



PS: Alpie's response would suggest that it has!

I hope this reassures everyone:

[EdgeleyRob]

RVW might well have approved. He was insistent about "Antarctica", only agreeing to change it at the very last minute (letter to Roy Douglas, January 5th, 1953 - the first performance was January 14th).

Here's correspondence between RVW and Alan Frank of OUP. Note where Frank's criticisms originated - a sort of 1952 equivalent of the Radio 3 Forum (Pedants' Paradise) perhaps:

Frank (December 23rd 1952):

... the pundits at the Radio Times say, and I feel they are probably right, that Sinfonia Antarctica is in no known language! 'Sinfonia' is Italian and 'Antarctica' is Latin, the Italian being 'Antartica' without the 'c': while the Latin for Symphony is 'Symphonia'. I said I thought you would probably stick to the present title, but promised to put it to you. It doesn't worry me either way.

RVW (December 31st):

I think we will stick to 'Antarctica', even if it is bad Italian. It ought to be good and it is their fault if it is not. I named it 'Sinfonia' on the lines of the 'Sinfonia Domestica', though I hope the work has no other likeness to that!

Thank you for this Pabs

[ferneyhoughgeliebte]

I hope this reassures everyone:

[EdgeleyRob]

Probably not, though John Gielgud does read them in the HIPP Boult recording approved by the composer in 1953, though they were not in Barbirolli's world premiere recording form the same year. In my pressing, the Gielgud-read superscriptions are not on separate tracks, but they are on all CD versions of the Ralph Richardson/Previn recording. As far as I know, these two were we the only recordings to include them.

They are on the Bakels (Naxos) recording Alpie.
5 extra tracks at the end of the cd,read by David Timson,so they can be programmed to be included in the Symphony.