Post by erik on Oct 17, 2020 18:24:42 GMT -5
Ralph Vaughan Williams, known affectionately as RVW to his fellow English composers, is back in the spotlight with another example of his pastoral idealism in the form of a work that is a concerto and a choral piece in all but actual named designation.
Vaughan Williams: FLOS CAMPI (FOR VIOLA, ORCHESTRA, AND CHORUS)
Ralph Vaughan Williams had one of the longest life spans of any major composer in history, having been born in 1872, seven years after the end of America’s civil war, and passing away in 1958, as the world was in the midst of a Cold War between America and Russia that could have turned nuclear at any time. He also lived through two of the worst wars in human history; and several of his symphonies reflected this. In general, however, he was known for having revived the music of the English Renaissance into a deeply reflective and personal style of music that might well be referred to as the pastoral tradition. Three of his works that reflect this are his two Fantasias (Thomas Tallis; Greensleeves) and the Biblically inspired “Five Variants Of ‘Dives And Lazarus’”. Another such work is “Flos Campi”, which he composed in 1925. The title is translated from Latin as “Flower Of The Field”, and is in six separate parts that run together in uninterrupted fashion. Though it is deemed to be for viola, orchestra, and chorus, it is neither an official viola concerto (by name) nor a choral piece (and in any case, the choir of 20-26 voices are wordless). It maintains its relative pastoral idealism, though RVW (as his English compatriots knew the composer) enhances some of the orchestration with modest percussion, trumpet, and celesta. Its premiere came on October 11, 1925, with the work’s dedicatee Lionel Terlis on viola, the voices of the Royal College of Music, and the Queen’s Hall Orchestra conducted by Sir Henry Wood. While initial reactions to it were mixed (even the composer’s friend Gustav Holst said he “couldn’t get a hold of it”), and while it is still only performed every once in a while, even in England, it has gained a place in the musical canon, particularly among violists.
Viola: SALLY PECK LENTZ
University of Utah Chamber Choir
Utah Symphony Orchestra/MAURICE ABRAVANEL (Vanguard)
Included:
FANTASIA ON A THEME OF THOMAS TALLIS
FIVE VARIATIONS OF “DIVES AND LAZARUS”
FANTASIA ON “GREENSLEEVES"
Vaughan Williams: FLOS CAMPI (FOR VIOLA, ORCHESTRA, AND CHORUS)
Ralph Vaughan Williams had one of the longest life spans of any major composer in history, having been born in 1872, seven years after the end of America’s civil war, and passing away in 1958, as the world was in the midst of a Cold War between America and Russia that could have turned nuclear at any time. He also lived through two of the worst wars in human history; and several of his symphonies reflected this. In general, however, he was known for having revived the music of the English Renaissance into a deeply reflective and personal style of music that might well be referred to as the pastoral tradition. Three of his works that reflect this are his two Fantasias (Thomas Tallis; Greensleeves) and the Biblically inspired “Five Variants Of ‘Dives And Lazarus’”. Another such work is “Flos Campi”, which he composed in 1925. The title is translated from Latin as “Flower Of The Field”, and is in six separate parts that run together in uninterrupted fashion. Though it is deemed to be for viola, orchestra, and chorus, it is neither an official viola concerto (by name) nor a choral piece (and in any case, the choir of 20-26 voices are wordless). It maintains its relative pastoral idealism, though RVW (as his English compatriots knew the composer) enhances some of the orchestration with modest percussion, trumpet, and celesta. Its premiere came on October 11, 1925, with the work’s dedicatee Lionel Terlis on viola, the voices of the Royal College of Music, and the Queen’s Hall Orchestra conducted by Sir Henry Wood. While initial reactions to it were mixed (even the composer’s friend Gustav Holst said he “couldn’t get a hold of it”), and while it is still only performed every once in a while, even in England, it has gained a place in the musical canon, particularly among violists.
Viola: SALLY PECK LENTZ
University of Utah Chamber Choir
Utah Symphony Orchestra/MAURICE ABRAVANEL (Vanguard)
Included:
FANTASIA ON A THEME OF THOMAS TALLIS
FIVE VARIATIONS OF “DIVES AND LAZARUS”
FANTASIA ON “GREENSLEEVES"
