Vaughan Williams: Over hill, over dale [Import]

Michael George (Performer), Ralph Vaughan Williams (Composer), Benjamin Britten (Composer), English Traditional (Composer), Christmas Traditional (Composer), Stephen Layton (Conductor), Robert Allan (Conductor), Ian Bostridge (Performer) | Format: Audio CD

Product Details

• Performer: Michael George, Ian Bostridge
• Conductor: Stephen Layton, Robert Allan
• Composer: Ralph Vaughan Williams, Benjamin Britten, English Traditional, Christmas Traditional
• Audio CD (November 21, 1995)
• Number of Discs: 1
• Format: Import
• Label: Hyperion UK
• ASIN: B000002ZVP
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (4 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #194,900 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)

Track Listings

1. Over Hill, Over Dale: Loch Lomond

2. Over Hill, Over Dale: Three Shakespeare Songs: Full Fathom Five

3. Over Hill, Over Dale: Three Shakespeare Songs: The Cloud-Capp'd Towers

4. Over Hill, Over Dale: Three Shakespeare Songs: Over Hill, Over Dale

5. Over Hill, Over Dale: Alister McAlphine's Lament

6. Over Hill, Over Dale: An Acre Of Land

7. Over Hill, Over Dale: The Seeds Of Love

8. Over Hill, Over Dale: Ca' The Yowes

9. Over Hill, Over Dale: Five English Folk Songs: The Dark-Eyed Sailor

10. Over Hill, Over Dale: Five English Folk Songs: The Spring Time Of The Year

11. Over Hill, Over Dale: Five English Folk Songs: Just The Tide Was Flowing

12. Over Hill, Over Dale: Five English Folk Songs: The Lover's Ghost

13. Over Hill, Over Dale: Five English Folk Songs: Wassail Song

14. Over Hill, Over Dale: The Winter Is Gone

15. Over Hill, Over Dale: Mannin Veen

16. Over Hill, Over Dale: Bushes And Briars

17. Over Hill, Over Dale: Down Among The Dead Men

18. Over Hill, Over Dale: Three Elizabethan Partsongs: Sweet Day

19. Over Hill, Over Dale: Three Elizabethan Partsongs: O Mistress Mine

20. Over Hill, Over Dale: Three Elizabethan Partsongs: The Willow Song

See all 25 tracks on this disc

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars a voice teacher and early music fan, July 21, 2006

By 

George Peabody "Ariel" (U.S.A.) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (TOP 1000 REVIEWER)   

This review is from: Vaughan Williams: Over hill, over dale (Audio CD)

THIS MUSIC DEPICTS A SAMPLING OF RALPH V.W. CONTRIBUTIONS FROM THE BEGINNING TO THE END, AND WHAT BEAUTY HE GAVE US!

Ralph Vaughan-Williams loved "the lilt of the chorus at the music hall...children dancing to a barrel organ, the rousing fervor of a Salvation Army Hymn, St.Paul's and a great choir singing at one of its festivals...the Welshmen striking up one of their own hymns...the cries of street pedlars, the factory girls singing their sentimental songs." This disc somehow reflects all of these influences. I think it makes him a true folksong specialist!

The music included herein covers the whole of the composer's long career-from "The Willow Song" written when he was eighteen, to "Heart's Music",composed three years before his death at the age of eighty-six.

The Holst Singers along with the two soloists:Ian Bostridge (tenor) and Michael George (bass)are very excellent in their renditions. The choir is perfection in balance, diction, ensemble and emotional content. Bostridge with his sweet and pure tenor almost moves one to tears especially in "Greensleeves" and "Ca'the yowes". And Michael George was also very moving in his solo:"Loch Lomond". It is as if the entire performing group were aware of a statement made by Vaughan-Williams before his death: "if the roots of your art are firmly planted in your own soil, and that soil has anything to give you, you may still gain the whole world and not lose your own souls."

9 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Heavenly, introspective, definitely the most soulful songs!, March 15, 2003

By 

Eric Brendan Chang (Kingston Ontario Canada) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Vaughan Williams: Over hill, over dale (Audio CD)

This collection of English and Scottish folk songs moved me to tears and made me experience a plethora of emotions over and over again. The beautiful melodies flowing from this CD conjure up melacholy, joy, sadness and wonder. They crystalise the most common human experiences and the mystery of existence into certain folksong idioms that, once listened to, will stick in your ears and stir your heart strings for a long time.

Salute to Vaughan Williams for documenting, preserving and arranging these gems of English and Scottish heritage. Holst singers performe splendidly. Their discipline and professionalism, and a sense of artistic direction shine through.

I highly recommend this CD along with John Rutter's "The Lark in the Clear Air" for all the sensitive people who take interest in classical music and traditional folk songs.

I wish I can give this CD 10 stars!

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2 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Songs that Never Fade, November 21, 2005

By 

Listener (Ottawa, Canada) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Vaughan Williams: Over hill, over dale (Audio CD)

A selection of the best of RVW's folksong arrangements performed with insight and restraint by the Holst Singers, with help from soloists like the incomparable Ian Bostridge. Vaughan William's respect for these folksongs is evident in his exquisite settings, which reveal their depth and subtlety, without obscuring their simplicity.

This is a recording to cherish.