Folk Song Suite

On this CD:

1. The Wasps, Aristophanic Suite, for orchestra (from the incidental music) Overture
Composed by Ralph Vaughan Williams

Conducted by Christopher Seaman

2. The Wasps, Aristophanic Suite, for orchestra (from the incidental music) Entr'acte No.1
Composed by Ralph Vaughan Williams

Conducted by Christopher Seaman

3. The Wasps, Aristophanic Suite, for orchestra (from the incidental music) March of the Kitchen Utensils
Composed by Ralph Vaughan Williams

Conducted by Christopher Seaman

4. The Lark Ascending, romance for violin & orchestra
Composed by Ralph Vaughan Williams
Performed by Jonathan Carney
Conducted by Christopher Seaman

5. Fantasia on a Theme by Thomas Tallis, for 2 string orchestras
Composed by Ralph Vaughan Williams

Conducted by Christopher Seaman

6. Fantasia on Greensleeves, for harp, flute, & strings (arranged by R. Greaves; from the opera Sir John In Love)
Composed by Ralph Vaughan Williams

Conducted by Christopher Seaman

7. English Folk Song Suite for military band
Composed by Ralph Vaughan Williams

Conducted by Christopher Seaman

Vaughan Williams: Tallis Fantasia / The Wasps Overture & excerpts / Lark Ascending / Greensleeves Fantasia / Folk Song Suite, Music, Ralph Vaughan Williams, Christopher Seaman, Jonathan Carney, Royal Philharmonic Orchestra, 20th/21st Century Orchestral Music, Band, Band Music, Classical, Classical Music, Concerto, Orchestral, Orchestral & Symphonic, Suite for Orchestra, Violin Concerto

Vaughan Williams: Fantasia on a Theme by Thomas Tallis; Variants
Average customer rating:

A Sterling Compilation

A good program, woodenly played

Not just the more famous works

Excellent Vaughan Williams

Wonderful music, beautiful recordings

Vaughan Williams: Fantasia on a Theme by Thomas Tallis; Variants

Manufacturer: Philips
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

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Similar Items:

Vaughan Williams: Serenade to Music; The Lark Ascending; Fantasia on Greensleeves; English Folk Song Suite; In the Fen Country; Norfolk Rhapsody No. 1

Vaughan Williams: Fantasies; The Lark Ascending; Five Variants

Vaughan Williams: Fantasia on a Theme by Thomas Tallis; Fantasia on

Vaughan Williams: Fantasia on a Theme by Thomas Tallis; Barber: Adagio for Strings; Grainger: Irish Tune from County

Ravel: Boléro / Ma Mère L'Oye (complete ballet) / Rapsodie espagnole / Une Barque sur l'océan / Alborada del Gracioso - Berliner Philharmoniker / Pierre Boulez

ASIN: B00000419V
Release Date: 1995-04-11

Tracks:

The Wasps
Fantasia On A Theme By Thomas Tallis
In The Fen Country
Variations For Orchestra
Norfolk Rhapsody No. 1 In E Minor
Five Variants Of 'Dives And Lazarus'

Amazon.com

This 1993 digital recording is not likely to be surpassed for warmth of conception and smoothness of execution. Sir Neville Marriner is at the top of his form, the interpretations are first rate, and the strings of the Academy of St. Martin-in-the-Fields play with polish and great beauty. The recorded sound is superb. --Ted Libbey

Customer Reviews:

A Sterling Compilation.......2006-01-24

This recording features exquisite performances, flawless sound, and a very well-chosen program. A previous reviewer categorized the playing as "wooden," but I disagree; perhaps the sublime subtlety of some of these pieces struck that listener as being timidity on the part of the orchestra, especially after the rousing opener, the "Wasps Overture."

I own a number of Vaughan Williams recordings, but this compilation is by far my favorite [it is rarely out of my CD player]. The symphonies are masterworks and the multitudes of songs and choral works are very effecting, but these orchestral works are magnificent in their breadth of styles -- Vaughan Williams really knew how to make use of all the colors an orchestra can create, alternating from huge tuttis to quartet soli; he was a master of writing, for lack of a better phrase, "just the right amount of music" at any given moment, never afraid to have the majority of the orchestra tacet for dozens of bars so that simplicity may reign.

When I first got this CD, I was unfamiliar with the "Norfolk Rhapsody" or "In the Fen Country", but was soon very happy to have encountered them. Though this recording contains the oft-recorded Tallis Fantasia, this is by far the best reading of that magnificent work -- Marriner brilliantly gives all of Vaughan Williams' orchestration tricks their due, from the manipulation of using simultaneous unison and divisi writing to emphasize harmonics, to a striking short section of sustained chords played con sordino that sounds like a church organ; it's simply gorgeous and breathtaking. Above all, I'm grateful this recording does not include the Greensleeves Fantasia that seems to be on virtually every other Vaughan Williams recording.

This recording makes a superb introduction to Vaughan Williams for neophytes [I've gifted this CD to numerous people over the past few years]. Though British music has a reputation for being pretty but restrained, Vaughan Williams' works are passionate, extremely melodic, fetchingly harmonic, and at times achingly bittersweet. A passionate Englishman -- what a concept!

A good program, woodenly played.......2003-01-07

You'll want to buy this CD for the lively recording of Vaughan Williams' "The Wasps" overture--a surprisingly well-crafted piece from his undergraduate days at Cambridge. And overall, it's an interesting compilation of Vaughan Williams' shorter works for orchestra.

But by the time you get to the last track--the beautiful "Five Variants on Dives and Lazarus"--you run up against the limitations of Sir Neville Marriner, and his band, the Academy of St. Martins in the fields. Listen to this rendering, and then compare it with William Boughton and the English String Orchestra. You'll see how it's possible to play the notes in tune, with the correct rhythm, as written, and yet totally rob the piece of it's music.

Sir Neville is the most-recorded conductor ever(searching Amazon.com alone returns 551 hits)but you can't help but feel that he long ago gave up quality for quantity. With a lack of specialization, he has no distinctive "voice" as compared with, say, Sir Charles Mackerras has with his recordings of Mozart symphonies, or Harnoncourt achieved with ancient instruments.

Not just the more famous works.......2002-12-29

Sir Neville Marriner and the Academy of St Martins in the Fields presents a fine recording of one of Vaughn William's more famous works, along with a few lesser known and hardly played works.

Begining with "The Wasps", this collection of orchestral works by Vaughn Williams will satisfy even the more demanding listener. Marriner proves why he was knighted with his masterful rendition of Vaughn Williams' "Fantasia on a Theme by Thomas Tallis". His familiarity with Vaughn William's works continues thru renditions of "In the Fen Country", "Variations for Orchestra", the "Norfolk Rhapsody" and concluding with "Five Variations of Dives and Lazarus".

Vaughn Williams manages to evoke images of the English countryside he knew so well in many of the musical numbers on this disc. His "Norfolk Rhapsody" was originally meant to be a full symphony, but Vaughn Williams finally presented it in this form.

The only fault I found with this disc is that I thought it could have included Vaughn Williams' other famous work, "Fantasia on a Theme of Greensleeves", but that work, as well as "Thomas Tallis", get so much airplay that it is almost a relief to see a disc that does not include both works.

This totally digital recording belongs on the shelves of every classical music station as well as a look for other classical music libraries.

Excellent Vaughan Williams.......2002-03-27

I was unfamiliar with the majority of the pieces on this CD, which made it attractive for me. The music comes from widely spaced periods of Ralph Vaughan Williams's life (1903 to 1957). The familiar works, The Wasps and Thomas Tallis, are very well played by the Academy of St Martins in the Fields, as indeed are the other selections. I liked the phrasing in Tallis and The Wasps overture was played with great fun and spirit.

In the Fen Country, Norfolk Rhapsody (based on folk songs from Norfolk) and Five Variations of Dives and Lazarus recall Vaughan Williams's The Lark Ascending and his Third and Fifth symphonies. There are serene, bucolic works that have the feel of the English countryside in them. The Variations for Orchestra was written when the composer was 85 for wind band, but is played here in an orchestration by Gordon Jacobs. The variations recalling the then large-scale work the composer was writing - his Ninth symphony, but is even reminiscent of his Fifth.

To conclude, this is a disc of beautiful music well played by St. Martins in the Field, under their longtime conductor Neville Mariner. Not to be missed by lovers of Vaughan Williams's music.

Wonderful music, beautiful recordings.......2000-09-15

This CD is a delightful collection of some of Vaughan Williams' best-known and best-loved works. All of the recordings are superb, nothing less than what is expected of Marriner and the Academy. If there is any gripe at all, the earlier recording of the Thomas Tallis Fantasia by Marriner and AMSF (on the Argo label) has a little more of the "grab-you" effect when the full orchestra comes cascading in after the first pizzicato statement of the melody. Haitink's performance of the Norfolk Rhapsody (coupled with the Symphony #5) is a little more driven and striking... but folks, these are very minor points. All in all, you will be hard-pressed to find a more satisfying collection of these pieces. When you hear "the wasps" buzzing in the first 10 seconds of the CD, you will know you are in for a treat.

Average customer rating:

Vaughan Williams Greatest Hits

Manufacturer: Decca
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

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ASIN: B0009XFJ36
Release Date: 2005-08-09

Tracks:

Fantasia On Greensleeves
The Lark Ascending
Seventeen Come Sunday
Intermezzo: My Bonny Boy
March: Folk Songs From Somerset
Overture: The Wasps
Intrada
Burlesca Ostinata
Sarabande
Scherzo
March And Reprise
Fantasia On A Theme By Thomas Tallis

Vaughan Williams: Orchestral Favourites, Vol. 3

Average customer rating:

Boughton nails Vaughan Williams
Outstanding introduction to Vaughan Williams

Vaughan Williams: Orchestral Favourites, Vol. 3

Manufacturer: Nimbus Records
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

Suites | Forms & Genres | Classical | Styles | Music

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Bantock: Hebridean Symphony; Celtic Symphony; The Witch of Atlas; The Sea Reivers
Vaughan Williams: Orchestral Works

ASIN: B0000037I7
Release Date: 1994-05-02

Tracks:

Overture: The Wasps
The Lark Ascending
Fantasia On Greensleeves
Oboe Concerto: I Rondo Pastorale
Oboe Concerto: II Minuet And Musette
Oboe Concerto: III Scherzo
Fantasia On A Theme - (Solo Quartet)
Five Variations Of Dives And Lazarus

Customer Reviews:

Boughton nails Vaughan Williams.......2003-01-07

Vaughan Williams was responsible for a great renaissance in English music through the development of a distinctive style based on the melodies of folk songs. You can hear excellent examples here on the Greensleeves Fantasia and the Five Variants on Dives and Lazarus. At first these appear to be almost student exercises: Take a theme and play with it. But the resulting pieces have great beauty and William Boughton's conducting shows more than a deep understanding of the music. The phrasing is sensitive without being sentimental. You'll play each track again and again.

The Tallis Fantasy is based on a very simple hymn tune, but is a remarkable piece. Scored for a double orchestra, the strings play lightly with a tone that evokes a softly playing organ at the distance in a large cathedral. Although many critics instantly recognized the timeless quality of this piece on its first performance at the Three Choirs Festival in 1910, one local paper carried a review that said, in essence, nice enough, but we'll never hear this performed again. Wrong!

The oboe concerto is a well-crafted spirited piece that does well in performance. Maurice Borgue plays enthusiastically. Unfortunately, the solo instrument is so closely miked, you can hear the pads click on the ebony!

This is an essential CD to own for any serious lover of English classical music.

Outstanding introduction to Vaughan Williams.......1999-08-11

This recording is highly recommended as an introduction to a composer who wrote some of the most beautiful music ever written. The English String Orchestra gives a completely idiomatic and technically brilliant performance, including a Wasps Overture that leaves the listener breathless. The oboe concerto is a particularly haunting work and is performed brilliantly.

Average customer rating:

An essential boxed set of RVWs work

A Portrait of Vaughan Williams

Manufacturer: Nimbus Records
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

Quartets | Chamber Music | Classical | Styles | Music

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Noels | Vocal Non-Opera | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music

Psalms | Vocal Non-Opera | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music

Te Deum | Vocal Non-Opera | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music

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Spirit of England II
The Spirit of England
Hodie / Fantasia on Christmas Carols
Eric Whitacre: Cloudburst and other choral works

ASIN: B00000I757
Release Date: 1999-02-23

Tracks:

Overture: The Wasps - Vaughan Williams
The Lark Ascending - Vaughan Williams
Fantasia On Greensleeves - Vaughan Williams
Oboe Concerto: I. Rondo Pastorale - Vaughan Williams
Oboe Concerto: II. Minuet And Musette - Vaughan Williams
Oboe Concerto: III. Sherzo - Vaughan Williams
Fantasia On A Theme By Thomas Tallis - Vaughan Williams
Five Variants Of Dives And Lazarus - Vaughan Williams

Tracks:

Mass In G Minor: Kyrie - CHRIST CHURCH CATHEDRAL CHOIR
Mass In G Minor: Gloria in excelsis - CHRIST CHURCH CATHEDRAL CHOIR
Mass In G Minor: Credo - CHRIST CHURCH CATHEDRAL CHOIR
Mass In G Minor: Sanctus Osanna I - Benedictus - Osanna II - CHRIST CHURCH CATHEDRAL CHOIR
Mass In G Minor: Agnus Dei - CHRIST CHURCH CATHEDRAL CHOIR
Sacred And Secular Songs: Valiant-For-Truth [John Bunyan] - CHRIST CHURCH CATHEDRAL CHOIR
Sacred And Secular Songs: The Blessed Son of God [Miles Coverdale, after Martin Luther] - CHRIST CHURCH CATHEDRAL CHOIR
Sacred And Secular Songs: No Sad Thought His Soul Affright (Verse 1 - Anon. Verse 2 - Ursula Vaughan Williams) - CHRIST CHURCH CATHEDRAL CHOIR
Sacred And Secular Songs: Lord, Thou Has Been Our Refuge [Psalm 90] - CHRIST CHURCH CATHEDRAL CHOIR
Sacred And Secular Songs: O Taste And See [Psalm 84:8] - CHRIST CHURCH CATHEDRAL CHOIR
Three Shakespeare Songs: Full Fathom Five - CHRIST CHURCH CATHEDRAL CHOIR
Three Shakespeare Songs: The Cloud-Capp'd Towers - CHRIST CHURCH CATHEDRAL CHOIR
Three Shakespeare Songs: Over Hill, Over Dale - CHRIST CHURCH CATHEDRAL CHOIR

Tracks:

Phantasy Quintet: I. Prelude: Lento ma non troppo - V. Williams
Phantasy Quintet: II. Scherzo: Prestissimo - V. Williams
Phantasy Quintet: III. Alla Sarbanda: Lento - V. Williams
Phantasy Quintet: IV. Burlesca: Allegro moderato - V. Williams
String Quartet 1 In G Minor: I. Allegro moderato - V. Williams
String Quartet 1 In G Minor: II. Minuet And Trio: Tempo di Minuetto - V. Williams
String Quartet 1 In G Minor: III. Romance: Andante sostenuto - V. Williams
String Quartet 1 In G Minor: IV. Finale: Rondo Capriccioso Allegro molto - V. Williams
String Quartet 2 In A For Jean On Her Birthday: I. Prelude: Allegro appassionato - V. Williams
II. Romance: Largo - V. Williams
III. Scherzo: Allegro - V. Williams
IV. Epilogue: Andante Sostenuto - V. Williams

Tracks:

An Oxford Elegy - Vaughan Williams
Flos Campi - Vaughan Williams
Te Deum - Vaughan Williams
O, Clap Your Hands - Vaughan Williams
The Old Hundreth Psalm Tune - Vaughan Williams

Customer Reviews:

An essential boxed set of RVWs work.......2000-04-18

Originally, I was confused when I encountered this set, as it incorporates four formerly individual Nimbus releases, now deleted from their catalogue. Be warned, then, if you have Nimbus releases of 'An Oxford Elegy' (and other choral music), or of RVWs Chamber Music (including the 'Phantasy Quintet' and the 'String Quartet') - these are the same recordings!

That being said, if you don't have these titles, or you have them in another release, and you enjoy RVWs music, then you simply must add this anthology to your collection. These discs include the first recording of 'An Oxford Elegy' that I ever encountered; it is such a marvellous piece that you'll be scrambling for poetry anthologies to find bits of Matthew Arnold's 'Thyrsis' and 'The Scholar Gypsy' just to read along. 'Flos Campi' is a marvellous, almost impressionistic piece, which always brings an image of Roman legions marching slowly through Surrey to mind. The 'Phantasy Quintet' is exception, as is the 'String Quartet'. However, it is the recording of the 'Lark Ascending' (now sadly thieved by some cursèd auto manufacturer to flog their worthless vehicles) that is the high point of this, as it is of most, collections. Of course, I could be considered biased, as it is my all-time favourite piece of music. The collection is rounded out by, among others, the essential 'Fantasia on a Theme by Thomas Tallis' and an interesting selection of the Sacred and Secular songs, as well as three of RVWs Shakespeare treatments.

Tracks:

The Wasps: Overture
The Wasps: Entr'acte No.1
The Waps: March Of The Kitchen Utensils
The Wasps: The Lark Ascending
The Wasps: Fantasia On A Theme By Thomas Tallis
The Wasps: Fantasia On 'Greensleeves'
The Wasps: English Folk Song Suite

Vaughan Williams: Fantasia on a Theme by Thomas Tallis; Concerto for oboe in Am

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Vaughan Williams: Fantasia on a Theme by Thomas Tallis; Concerto for oboe in Am

Manufacturer: EMI Records [All429]
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

Suites | Forms & Genres | Classical | Styles | Music

General | Symphonies | Classical | Styles | Music

Modern & 20th Century | Symphonies | Classical | Styles | Music

General | Classical | Styles | Music

Classical | Imports | Stores | Music
ASIN: B000006DED
Release Date: 2000-08-15

Tracks: