VAUGHAN WILLIAMS
Sinfonia Antartica / Concerto for 2
Pianos
Bergen Philharmonic / Sir Andrew Davis
Chandos 5186 / *****
Ever
watched a movie and wondered whether its stirring music could be also heard in
the concert hall? It is now commonplace to hear John Williams' Star Wars
or Harry Potter music in concert but one of the pioneers was English
composer Ralph Vaughan Williams (1972-1958) who adapted his film score for Scott
Of the Artarctic (1948) and turned it into his Seventh Symphony
(1951).
His
Sinfonia Antartica is a masterpiece in five movements, its evocative
orchestration capturing the terrifying majesty of the South Pole and Captain
Scott's ill-fated expedition. The inclusion of wordless soprano, women's
chorus, wind machine, pipe organ and lots of brass guarantees an aural
spectacular which Sir Andrew Davis and the Bergen Philharmonic (Norway) deliver
with aplomb.
The
piano duo of Louis Lortie and Helene Mercier do the honours in Vaughan
Williams' Concerto For Two Pianos (1946), an adaptation by Joseph Cooper
of his 1930 Piano Concerto which was considered too demanding by its
original soloist. Cast in C major, the work brings together contrapuntal
complexities and an unusual whimsical flair, capped by a starkly beautiful
central slow movement. His orchestrated Four Last Songs (1954-58) with baritone Roderick Williams is the added bonus to this excellent disc of varied
offerings.
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