Vaughan Williams: Symphony No. 5 in D; Bax: Tintagel [Import]

Arnold Bax (Composer), Ralph Vaughan Williams (Composer), John Barbirolli (Conductor), London Symphony Orchestra (Orchestra), Philharmonia Orchestra of London (Orchestra) | Format: Audio CD

Product Details

• Orchestra: London Symphony Orchestra, Philharmonia Orchestra of London
• Conductor: John Barbirolli
• Composer: Arnold Bax, Ralph Vaughan Williams
• Audio CD (February 14, 1995)
• Number of Discs: 1
• Format: Import
• Label: EMI Classics Imports
• ASIN: B000024ZLI
• Average Customer Review: 4.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #498,034 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)

Track Listings

1. Tintagel - LSO/Sir John Barbirolli

2. Sym No.5 in D: I. Preludio (Moderato - Allegro - Tempo I)

3. Sym No.5 in D: II. Scherzo (Presto Misterioso)

4. Sym No.5 in D: III. Romanza (Lento)

5. Sym No.5 in D: IV. Passacaglia (Moderato - Allegro - Tempo Primo - Tempo Del Preludio)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

9 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Barbirolli and Vaughan Williams, October 16, 2001

By 

T. Beers (Arlington, Virginia United States) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Vaughan Williams: Symphony No. 5 in D; Bax: Tintagel (Audio CD)

Some of Sir John Barbirolli's greatest recordings included music of his countryman, Ralph Vaughan Williams. This Vaughan Williams Fifth Symphony falls just a little short. It was recorded for EMI in the 1960s and the sound quality is vintage '60s EMI: warm and full, yet with plenty of detail. But, to my ears, the performance sounds just a tad "disconnected." I usually cherish Sir John's expressive eccentricities, but here the conductor's agogic distortions really do seem to get in the way of a coherent projection of the symphony's (considerable) architecture. On the other hand, the performance of Bax's gorgeous tone poem "Tintagel" is one of the greatest recordings of British music ever made. Every mood in this very moody, Tristanesque gem is expertly conveyed and Bax's elusive structure is masterfully underlined. Perhaps others will respond more enthusiastically to the VW symphony. But, to my taste, Sir Adrian Boult, Andre Previn, and the underrated Vernon Handley all provide more satisfying performances of what is one of VW's finest symphonies.

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Sir John at His Finest, January 11, 2007

By 

Wayne Choma (Winnipeg, Canada) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Vaughan Williams: Symphony No. 5 in D; Bax: Tintagel (Audio CD)

There are many fine performances of this great symphony but Sir John's is in a class by itself. The Philharmonia was a studio orchestra created from the best elements of all the great London orchestras and it played everything superlatively. Sir John gets the pulse of this piece and the performance never fails to reach the soul. The third movement or Romanza taken from his great vocal work, "The Pilgrim"s Progress", is sheer majesty and no one has equalled its dramatic power as Sir John did. He had the measure of this music like nobody else and if one needs only one performance of this work - this is it! The performance of Bax's "Tintagel" is also one of the finest available which makes this disc irresistible.

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars totally engaging, November 11, 2006

By 

jsa (San Diego, CA United States) - See all my reviews
(TOP 1000 REVIEWER)   

This review is from: Vaughan Williams: Symphony No. 5 in D; Bax: Tintagel (Audio CD)

I've owned this Barbirolli recording of Vaughan Williams' 5th for more than 30 years, originally as an Angel LP & now as an EMI cd, & I treasure it. I also own readings by Boult & Previn which are very fine as well; however, Barbirolli seems to best communicate the spiritual elements of this great music. In short, I cannot recommend this recording highly enough - it never fails to elevate me. (The reading of Tintagel on this disc is also exceptional.)