This is another in the series of recordings of music by Vaughan Williams from the Royal Liverpool Philharmonic and Andrew Manze. It features Williams’ ‘A Sea Symphony’ set to words by Walt Whitman.
Premiered in 1910, the start of this work is one of the most dramatic of any symphony, and one that displays an extraordinary, epic self-confidence in handling such large forces. The work had been in RVW’s mind since 1907, just before his studies with Ravel in Paris.
The Lark Ascending, the Romance for violin and orchestra dates from 1914, is probably the composer’s most popular work, and will forever be associated with the horrors of the First World War. The version for orchestra heard here was made in 1920. It is a revolutionary work in the context of British music of the time – and it contains a rhythmic freedom and flow very much unique for its time.
Here is the “Lark Ascending” from this recording:
