Ralph Vaughan Williams

[Julian.West@mac.dartmouth.edu]

  David Shapiro asks for Vaughan Williams
recommendations. I really like one disc I
have which combines "Ten Blake Songs" and
"On Wenlock Edge" with a piece by Warlock
called "The Curlew".  Another fine selection
is "Five Tudor Portraits," although I don't
have a recording of it.

  My personal experience with Vaughan Williams is that you can't go wrong! 
All of the symphonies are worth listening to, I especially like the fifth
(available on Virgin Classics I believe) and the Symphonia Antartica (sp?). 
The "London" Symphony is very good, I think that's #2.   Anyone who makes a
habit of listening to Vaughan Williams will also come across "The Wasps",
which appears on the radio now and then, and is program music patterned after
the play by Aristophanes. It's fun.

   On the other hand, if it is vocal music you are looking for, there is
plenty to choose from and I suggest you pick something whose source interests
you, "Job" for instance. I bought "Ten Blake Songs" because I like Blake as
well as Vaughan Williams, and I wasn't disappointed.

   Enjoy your discovery!
   Julian

PS1.  If you want labels or catalogue nos for the recordings I and my friends
         have, let me know. (at Julian.West@dartmouth.edu)

PS2.  I hope everyone noticed that Vaughan        
         Williams placed in the top five in the 
         straw poll someone ran a few months back.

PS3.  Since IED attempted a deconstruction of |>oug based partly on the
latter's
         inability to spell "John Stuart Mill", I'm going to point out that
IED
         misspelled "VaughAn Williams"

PS4.   I'm also going to recommend the new DAWN UPSHAW disc here,
          partly because I like Upshaw and want to boost her career,
          and partly because I think anyone who likes Vaughan Williams 
           will LOVE Samuel Barber's "Knoxville: summer of 1915."  
                 Take this as a strong and wide recommendation.