Ralph Vaughan Williams

Written for Vaughan William's choir in surrey these are beautifully judged for amateur voices. The music is direct and sharply characterised. Originally with orchestra they are equally suitable for performance within choral concerts or as church anthems with either organ or piano accompaniment.

Quartet in C Minor is in four movements with a total duration of about 25 minutes. The opening Allegro is Dvorák-ish in its lyricism though there is a darker more brooding atmosphere towards the close. It is tempting to detect a hint of folk-song in the theme of the Andantino played by the Viola but that may be stretching hindsight too far. The movement has a wistful melancholy that carries over into the following Intermezzo a song-like episode containing some of the most virtuosic writing in the work. The last movement is a theme and six variations with a fugal ending. The theme is ballad-like with a suggestion of 18th-century elegance. Modality creeps into thesecond Adagio variation and there is rhythmic exhilaration in the succeeding Presto. What can be admired in this attractive quartet is its conciseness. This String Quartet was his first major composition of any kind.

'Quartet In C Minor' is in four movements with a total duration of about 25 minutes. The opening Allegro is similar in style to Dvorak in its lyricism though there is a darker more brooding atmosphere towards the close. It is tempting to detect a hint of folk-song in the theme of the Andantino played by the viola but that may be stretching hindsight too far. The movement has a wistful melancholy that carries over into the following Intermezzo a song-like episode containing some of the most virtuosic writing in the work. The last movement is a theme and six variations with a fugal ending. The theme is ballad-like with a suggestion of 18th-century elegance. Modalitycreeps into the second Adagio variation and there is rhythmic exhilaration in the succeeding Presto. What can be admired in this attractive quartet is its conciseness. This String Quartet was his first major composition of any kind.

The Piano Quintet in C is a substantial and superbly written work lasting some 30 minutes. The first movement marked Allegro con fuoco is expansive loquacious and filled with late romantic passion its harmonies Brahmsian for the most part but tinged with modality in the quieter passages. The expressive romantic melody of the Andante second movement is fully characteristic of the composer and resembles the song Silent Noon that he composed in the same year. The finale is a set of five well-differentiated variations ending with a beautiful bell-like coda. This work was written in 1903.

This useful inventive collection of sacred solos is a valuable resource for classical singers looking for church service material or the songs are also appropriate for a traditional recital.The collection includes art-song type settings of traditional songs plus more conventional classical material. Contents: Ah Holy Jesus ? Amazing Grace ? Ave Maria ? Balm in Gilead ? Brother James' Air ? The Call ? Deep River ? How Can I Keep from Singing ? Jesu Joy of Man's Desiring ? Just a Closer Walk with Thee ? Sheep May Safely Graze ? Wayfaring Stranger ? Wondrous Love ? We Are Climbing Jacob'sLadder

Of all his early chamber works the 'Nocturne' is most clearly by the mature Vaughan Williams almost anticipating the influence of Ravel which followed his lessons from the French composer in 1908. In the veiled beauty of its highly chromatic harmonies we hear already the tone-poet of the slow movement of 'A London Symphony' while in the fleet-footed 'Scherzo' there is already a French influence in the way the folk-song is subtly woven into the texture only brief snatches of the tune being heard until the penultimate page when it receives fuller treatment. The work plays for about 10 minutes. The 1904 'Scherzo' is a vigorous march with fugal episodes which lasts some 6minutes and may effectively be performed by itself.

Matching folio to the album featuring 10 previously unreleased studio performances including: The Sky Is Crying · Empty Arms · Little Wing · Life By The Drop · and more.