Stanford: Symphony No. 4 in F major; Irish Rhapsody No. 6; Oedipus Rex Prelude

Charles Villiers Stanford (Composer), Vernon Handley (Conductor), Ulster Orchestra (Orchestra) | Format: Audio CD

Product Details

• Orchestra: Ulster Orchestra
• Conductor: Vernon Handley
• Composer: Charles Villiers Stanford
• Audio CD (October 28, 1992)
• SPARS Code: DDD
• Number of Discs: 1
• Label: Chandos
• ASIN: B000000ALJ
• In-Print Editions: MP3 Download
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #447,384 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

14 of 14 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A great place to start listening to a neglected composer, October 24, 2003

By 

Brent D. Lautenschlegar "brentl" (Franklin, TN USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Stanford: Symphony No. 4 in F major; Irish Rhapsody No. 6; Oedipus Rex Prelude (Audio CD)

Stanford (1852-1924) wrote an accomplished set of symphonies that any lover of romantic period symphonic music should know. The Fourth represents a great place to start. The composer skillfully mixes passages of almost haunting beauty (as in the 3rd movement) with jaunty melodies (1st & 4th movements) displaying an unmistakable Irish character. The orchestral blend sounds rather Russian -- much like Tchaikovsky. The major themes are interesting and pleasing to the ear, and the developments are handled in a manner that doesn't cause the listener's attention to lapse.
There's not much that's forward-looking in Stanford's music; indeed, it's firmly planted in the 19th century. Like his contemporary Glazunov, if he did not produce masterworks that are heard in concert halls all over the world, he did produce masterworks that can be repeatedly enjoyed in the comfort of home on wonderful recordings like the Chandos series.
I would provide a strong recommendation for any symphony in this set -- there's not a bad one to be had.