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Vaughan Williams: Fantasies; The Lark Ascending; Five Variants
 
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Vaughan Williams: Fantasies; The Lark Ascending; Five Variants

Kenneth Heath (Performer), Ralph Vaughan Williams (Composer), Neville Marriner (Conductor), Academy of St. Martin-in-the-Fields (Performer), William Bennett (Performer), Skaila Kanga (Performer), Stephen Shingles (Performer), Iona Brown (Performer), Trevor Connah (Performer)
4.9 out of 5 stars See all reviews (29 customer reviews) More about this product

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Frequently Bought Together

Vaughan Williams: Fantasies; The Lark Ascending; Five Variants + Vaughan Williams: Serenade to Music; The Lark Ascending; Fantasia on Greensleeves; English Folk Song Suite; In the Fen Country; Norfolk Rhapsody No. 1 + Vaughan Williams: The Nine Symphonies [Box Set]
Price For All Three: $55.47

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The Lark Ascending: Full score

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Product Details


Listen to Samples and Buy MP3s

Songs from this album are available to purchase as MP3s. Click on "Buy MP3" or view the MP3 Album.

Samples
Song TitleArtist Time Price
listen  1. Fantasia on a Theme by Thomas TallisIona Brown15:15Album Only
listen  2. Fantasia on GreensleevesWilliam Bennett 4:20$0.89 Buy Track
listen  3. The Lark AscendingIona Brown16:09Album Only
listen  4. Five Variants of "Dives and Lazarus"Iona Brown13:03Album Only


On this CD:
  1. Fantasia on a Theme by Thomas Tallis, for 2 string orchestras
    Composed by Ralph Vaughan Williams
    with Trevor Connah, Stephen Shingles, Academy of St. Martin-in-the-Fields, Kenneth Heath, Iona Brown
    Conducted by Neville Marriner

  2. Fantasia on Greensleeves, for harp, flute & strings (arranged by R. Greaves; from the opera "Sir John In Love")
    Composed by Ralph Vaughan Williams
    with Academy of St. Martin-in-the-Fields, William Bennett
    Conducted by Neville Marriner

  3. The Lark Ascending, romance for violin & orchestra
    Composed by Ralph Vaughan Williams
    with Academy of St. Martin-in-the-Fields, Iona Brown
    Conducted by Neville Marriner

  4. Variants (5) of 'Dives and Lazarus' for string orchestra & harp (or harps)
    Composed by Ralph Vaughan Williams
    with Skaila Kanga, Academy of St. Martin-in-the-Fields, Kenneth Heath, Iona Brown
    Conducted by Neville Marriner


Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com
Marriner's evergreen 1972 recording of favorite shorter works by Vaughan Williams has yet to be surpassed for warmth of conception and smoothness of execution. The soloists in these accounts (among them William Bennett in the Greensleeves Fantasia and Iona Brown in the Lark Ascending) are all first-rate, and the Academy's strings play with polish and great beauty of sound. The analog recording is excellent, and Marriner's remarkable empathy for the music comes across effortlessly. Some listeners may prefer the richer sonority and arrestingly mystical manner of Marriner's 1993 digital remake of the Tallis Fantasia for Philips, but this disc offers the most desirable coupling of other works and remains a first choice for those interested in getting to know the composer's finest short essays. --Ted Libbey

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Customer Reviews

29 Reviews
5 star:
 (28)
4 star:    (0)
3 star:
 (1)
2 star:    (0)
1 star:    (0)
 
 
 
 
 
Average Customer Review
4.9 out of 5 stars (29 customer reviews)
 
 
 
 
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews

 
39 of 39 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars The best versions of all the pieces.., December 29, 2004
By ellafan (MI) - See all my reviews
  
This is the one I fell in love with so many years ago,and it was the first Vaughan Williams CD I purchased.I own everything of his on CD now,but this CD is my favorite.The beauty of "The Lark Ascending" is indescribable.I'll just say that it takes you away to a better,more peaceful time,and no matter how frazzled your nerves are,it will mellow you but good.The Thomas Tallis Fantasia piece is so gorgeous.Listen to the first few bars,and imagine yourself standing next to a ruined castle,the walls encumbered with ivy,the sun filtering through the ruins....That is the effect it has on me every time I listen.The Greensleeves Fantasia is another sumptuous composition,as are the Variants.I think old Ralph(Rafe) was the very best composer for strings.Second would be Delius.
If you fall in love with this CD,I would recommend that you listen to Ralph's "Sinfonia Antartica." Completely unlike anything on this CD,but astounding nevertheless.Really...everything he composed is wonderful,so start with this CD and build yourself a R.V.W. library.
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29 of 29 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars Essential music to own, April 1, 2000
By paul blanchard (Des Moines, Iowa) - See all my reviews
A four piece CD that packs an outstanding punch, the first work 'Theme by Thomas Tallis' has one of the top melodies ever written by any composer thus far. Very lush, sweeping, and beautifully haunting without being mawkish, a must have for a person new to Vaughan Williams work.

'Lark Ascending' shows the artistry of Vaughan Williams in displaying the interweaving of textures of violin solo's within the symphony of instruments. Again a very powerful melody blended by the interplay of the symphony and lovely violin solo by Iona Brown.

The other two works on this CD compliment the above mentioned pieces with their stunning richness of full symphonic textures of melodies and movement.

This is a CD one must have who is new or unfamiliar with Vaughan Williams work, I believe it to be one of the best works of any musician.

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21 of 21 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars The Lark Ascending - Vaughan Williams, October 29, 2004
A Kid's Review
I have been looking for The Lark Ascending for years and years. I didn't know the name or the artist I could only identify it by sound. I can't believe I have finally found it. I am getting married one day with The Lark Ascending in the background and I will also have it played at my funneral. I love it to death. I would have paid anything to have a copy and now I do. The Lark Ascending takes my mind away to another world and gives me so much peace and joy at the same time. I cried when I finally found the name and was able to purchase a copy of The Lark Ascending. A very special CD for me. The length of The Lark Ascending is great but I could listen to it all day!! Thank you Ralph Vaughan Williams.
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Most Recent Customer Reviews

5.0 out of 5 stars Wonderful!
Everytime I purchase a CD through Amazon and its vendors, the service and content surprise me! When studying, the works inspire me!
Published 9 months ago by Mary A. McMillen

5.0 out of 5 stars SUPERB!!!
This is a beautiful CD. Vaughn Williams is my favorite classical composer and Neville Marriner's interpretation of his music is perfect. All of the tracks on this CD are fabulous!
Published 22 months ago by Happy Horse

5.0 out of 5 stars Iona Brown was very special
The Iona Brown recording of "Lark" here is famous in Britain and justifiably so. Brown, who died in 2004, grew up in the English countryside and had a deep experience of what... Read more
Published on June 11, 2007 by T Boyer

5.0 out of 5 stars Superb
This is an essential recording for any classical music collection. I've probably played this CD a thousand times, and I never grow tired of it. Read more
Published on March 16, 2007 by Ian R. Bruce

5.0 out of 5 stars this England!
It is perhaps impossible to hear Vaughan Williams' short works performed more beautifully and unforgettably than in this 1972 ADRM/Argo recording. Read more
Published on December 13, 2006 by David A. Baer

5.0 out of 5 stars tallis and lark
Fantasia on a theme by Thomas Tallis was a piece of music John Williams discovered in a house of sorts during the war in a dresser. Read more
Published on October 5, 2006 by R. cobb

5.0 out of 5 stars smooth as silk
I too fell for this music in college long ago, and carry it inside me everywhere I go. I have listened to Lark and Tallis many times when I was worried about school or work, and... Read more
Published on September 30, 2006 by James R. Fitzsimmons

5.0 out of 5 stars Can't stop listening!
This is one of the most profoundly beautiful collections of music I've ever heard. I've loved "Fantasia on Greensleeves" since I was a child. Read more
Published on July 17, 2006 by Cathy Callicoat

5.0 out of 5 stars The best Tallis Fantasia recording! Sublime.
I've heard many other recordings of the Tallis Fantasia, but this one is the best, hands down. The first 4 minutes are simply stunning. Read more
Published on May 22, 2006 by Roger Hom

5.0 out of 5 stars SIMPLY MAGNIFICENT
THE LARK ASCENDING IS TRULY ONE OF THE GREATEST PIECES OF MUSIC EVER COMPOSED. ITS TRANSCENDANT BEAUTY COMPELS US TO ENVISION THAT LONE, SOLITARY LARK AS IT CLIMBS EVER HIGHER,... Read more
Published on November 21, 2005 by Scott Wilson

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