COMPOSERS: Vaughan Williams
LABELS: EMI
WORKS: Symphony No. 4; Oboe Concerto; Fantasia on a Theme by Thomas Tallis; The Wasps Overture
PERFORMER: John Williams (oboe)Bournemouth SO, RPO/Constantin Silvestri, Paavo Berglund
CATALOGUE NO: CDM 5 66539 2 ADD 1968-80
Paavo Berglund proves to be an inspired choice of conductor for Vaughan Williams’s uncompromising Fourth Symphony, in an interpretation of sustained urgency and drawing brilliant playing from the RPO. The ardent Sibelian appears less involved in the Oboe Concerto, which sounds somewhat pallid, particularly as it follows Silvestri’s full-blooded account of the Tallis Fantasia. This performance, recorded in the suitably resonant acoustic of Winchester Cathedral, may not appeal to those who are used to a more genteel approach, and doubts could also be raised about the Wasps Overture, which is undeniably exciting, but suffers from some occasional lapses in ensemble. Erik Levi
Vaughan Williams: Symphony No. 4; Oboe Concerto; Fantasia on a Theme by Thomas Tallis; The Wasps Overture
Paavo Berglund proves to be an inspired choice of conductor for Vaughan Williams’s uncompromising Fourth Symphony, in an interpretation of sustained urgency and drawing brilliant playing from the RPO. The ardent Sibelian appears less involved in the Oboe Concerto, which sounds somewhat pallid, particularly as it follows Silvestri’s full-blooded account of the Tallis Fantasia.
Our rating
5
Published: January 20, 2012 at 2:39 pm
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