Customer Reviews

Vaughan Williams - Along the Field on Wenlock Edge · Merciless Beauty · Ten Blake Songs, and others / Ainsley · The Nash Ensemble

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This notable recording is a welcome addition to John Mark Ainsley's catalogue of English music; his lovely, cultivated yet heartfelt voice is heard to advantage throughout the disc, wonderfully supported by the Nash Ensemble. "On Wenlock Edge" is here given the best recorded performance I know; it is superbly sung and played, with "Bredon Hill" being an especially high point, from the lovely rising phrase of the first line through the drama of the central section and the poignancy of "And would not wait for me." "Is My Team Ploughing?" is sung with real mastery; dramatic without hand-wringing, melancholy without melodrama, it is a perfect example of the art of a singer unequalled today in the interpretation of English song.

While he might not be most famous for it, Vaughan Williams was a relatively important contributor to the art song genre. This disc usefully gathers together his songs with different accompaniments than a solo piano, and provides a relatively engaging and varied programme, even though much of the music is relatively austere, relying on subtle coloristic effects and simple melody. The 10 Blake songs are set for voice and oboe, an interesting combination that Vaughan Williams utilizes effectively, although several numbers are set for solo voice alone - the latter requires pretty strong melodies and is something of a hit and miss (with "The Divine Image" being the most obvious hit). The refined, subtle works of this cycle are surely rewarding enough, but sufficiently tough not to really invite very frequent listening. John Mark Ainsley is as persuasive and advocate as one could hope for, however - surely his is one of the voices that actually could bring this cycle off, and in general he does.

More immediately attractive (if not ultimately musically superior) is Along the Field, for solo voice and violin, where Vaughan Williams's ability to conjure up atmosphere really comes to the fore. The Two English Folksongs for the same combination are less interesting, but in both works the performances are excellent. The mystical, haunting "Merciless Beauty" for solo voice and string trio is also excellently done. On Wenlock Edge, here in its version with piano and string quartet is of course much better known. While the version here cannot really compete with the more effective orchestral version, it is at least winningly performed with sensitivity and clarity.

Throughout the programme, Ainsley is particularly impressive for his attunement to the text and ability to provide the necessary colors and shades. And I cannot imagine the instrumental accompaniments being handled better than they are by the Nash Ensemble. The sound quality is magnificent as well.Still, I cannot honestly hail it as one of the best or most important song recordings the last couple of years (as some reviewers in the (British) music press seem to have done); the music just isn't quite strong enough overall for that. Nevertheless this is a thoroughly well made and well presented disc that can be firmly recommended to lovers of English art song.

Apart from the quality of the performance here, it's worth noting that perhaps no one has done a finer job of setting great poetry to music than Vaughan Williams. His settings of Blake's poems are superb: they reveal aspects of Blake many readers miss. His settings of A. E. Housman's poems are just as good. (Housman is not listed here, but he wrote about ten of the poems on this record.) I recommend that those teaching Blake or Housman play selections from this. High school students in particular are likely to find Blake more accessible after hearing the songs.

I bought this recording because I adore the Blake songs and wished to have a recording of them at long last, and these are without question the highlight of this CD for me. I enjoy all the other songs, and Mr. Ainsley sings in tune with a beautiful tone, but they tend to blend together into one long opus.