[.ca] Wasps/Fantasia On A Theme By

From Amazon.com:
This 1993 digital recording is not likely to be surpassed for warmth of conception and smoothness of execution. Sir Neville Marriner is at the top of his form, the interpretations are first rate, and the strings of the Academy of St. Martin-in-the-Fields play with polish and great beauty. The recorded sound is superb. --Ted Libbey

Wonderful music, beautiful recordings:
This CD is a delightful collection of some of Vaughan Williams' best-known and best-loved works. All of the recordings are superb, nothing less than what is expected of Marriner and the Academy. If there is any gripe at all, the earlier recording of the Thomas Tallis Fantasia by Marriner and AMSF (on the Argo label) has a little more of the "grab-you" effect when the full orchestra comes cascading in after the first pizzicato statement of the melody. Haitink's performance of the Norfolk Rhapsody (coupled with the Symphony #5) is a little more driven and striking... but folks, these are very minor points. All in all, you will be hard-pressed to find a more satisfying collection of these pieces. When you hear "the wasps" buzzing in the first 10 seconds of the CD, you will know you are in for a treat.

Not just the more famous works:
Sir Neville Marriner and the Academy of St Martins in the Fields presents a fine recording of one of Vaughn William's more famous works, along with a few lesser known and hardly played works. Begining with "The Wasps", this collection of orchestral works by Vaughn Williams will satisfy even the more demanding listener. Marriner proves why he was knighted with his masterful rendition of Vaughn Williams' "Fantasia on a Theme by Thomas Tallis". His familiarity with Vaughn William's works continues thru renditions of "In the Fen Country", "Variations for Orchestra", the "Norfolk Rhapsody" and concluding with "Five Variations of Dives and Lazarus". Vaughn Williams manages to evoke images of the English countryside he knew so well in many of the musical numbers on this disc. His "Norfolk Rhapsody" was originally meant to be a full symphony, but Vaughn Williams finally presented it in this form. The only fault I found with this disc is that I thought it could have included Vaughn Williams' other famous work, "Fantasia on a Theme of Greensleeves", but that work, as well as "Thomas Tallis", get so much airplay that it is almost a relief to see a disc that does not include both works. This totally digital recording belongs on the shelves of every classical music station as well as a look for other classical music libraries.

Excellent Vaughan Williams:
I was unfamiliar with the majority of the pieces on this CD, which made it attractive for me. The music comes from widely spaced periods of Ralph Vaughan Williams's life (1903 to 1957). The familiar works, The Wasps and Thomas Tallis, are very well played by the Academy of St Martins in the Fields, as indeed are the other selections. I liked the phrasing in Tallis and The Wasps overture was played with great fun and spirit. In the Fen Country, Norfolk Rhapsody (based on folk songs from Norfolk) and Five Variations of Dives and Lazarus recall Vaughan Williams's The Lark Ascending and his Third and Fifth symphonies. There are serene, bucolic works that have the feel of the English countryside in them. The Variations for Orchestra was written when the composer was 85 for wind band, but is played here in an orchestration by Gordon Jacobs. The variations recalling the then large-scale work the composer was writing - his Ninth symphony, but is even reminiscent of his Fifth. To conclude, this is a disc of beautiful music well played by St. Martins in the Field, under their longtime conductor Neville Mariner. Not to be missed by lovers of Vaughan Williams's music.

A good program, woodenly played:
You'll want to buy this CD for the lively recording of Vaughan Williams' "The Wasps" overture--a surprisingly well-crafted piece from his undergraduate days at Cambridge. And overall, it's an interesting compilation of Vaughan Williams' shorter works for orchestra. But by the time you get to the last track--the beautiful "Five Variants on Dives and Lazarus"--you run up against the limitations of Sir Neville Marriner, and his band, the Academy of St. Martins in the fields. Listen to this rendering, and then compare it with William Boughton and the English String Orchestra. You'll see how it's possible to play the notes in tune, with the correct rhythm, as written, and yet totally rob the piece of it's music. Sir Neville is the most-recorded conductor ever(searching Amazon.com alone returns 551 hits)but you can't help but feel that he long ago gave up quality for quantity. With a lack of specialization, he has no distinctive "voice" as compared with, say, Sir Charles Mackerras has with his recordings of Mozart symphonies, or Harnoncourt achieved with ancient instruments.

• The Wasps
• Fantasia On A Theme By Thomas Tallis
• In The Fen Country
• Variations For Orchestra
• Norfolk Rhapsody No. 1 In E Minor
• Five Variants Of 'Dives And Lazarus'