Customer Reviews

Ralph Vaughan Williams: Symphony No. 8 / Partita for Double String Orchestra / Fantasia on "Greensleeves" / Two Hymn-Tune Preludes - Bryden Thomson

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This is the slowest version of the Eighth Symphony I ever have heard. It lasts over 30 minutes. Nevertheless, it never seems to drag. Thomson lovingly elucidates all the details of the score. It is arguable that this is not what Vaughan Williams wanted, since he heard performances by Barbirolli and Boult (Decca) that reached LP during his lifetime. But Thomson clearly loves this music, and has found a key to its structure. The last movement is eloquent rather than typically rambunctious, and the conclusion is very satisfying. The other works on the CD are less controversial. The Partita receives a superb performance. The plucked strings in the third movement's Homage to Henry Hall, a BBC dance band leader, are particularly evocative of lighter music. Greensleeves goes well, comparably to the famous Ormandy recording. And the Hymn-Tune Preludes are serious and telling. Add to all this superior sound engineering, and you have a fascinating slice of Vaughan Williams.

Bryden Thomson is a fine conductor, the problem is he's not quite up to the level of Adrian Boult. My advice is to get the Boult symphonies. However, it seems the Boult 'Partita' is not conveniently available on CD's. The 'Partita' is probably VW's greatest work, aside maybe from the 8th symphony itself. Actually, I thought the Thomson 'Partita' was pretty good.

This all gets a bit subjective - I think most people would be very happy with this recording, all said & done. There's a tendency to think the 1st recording of a work one hears is the best, and my first exposure (on LP's) to VW was exclusively Boult, so there you are.