Only article I could find about today's 50th anniversary of his death. Only article I could find about today's 50th anniversary of his death.Classical Music PING
His The Lark Ascending is one of the most beautiful violin pieces I’ve heard!
Ralph Vaughan Williams is a fine composer.
Anyone who would denigrate his beautiful compositions is an ignoramus.
I very much enjoy his Fantasia on Greensleeves too.
I wonder how his wife was invalid.
The Lark Ascending played by Hillary Hahn is one of my favorite pieces of music. I think many people have heard it and like it even if they don’t know the composers name.
Thanks for the ping. I’ve never heard of him.
A few can be heard on Yahoos Choir site here
The BBC radio 3 has a program called "The Choir" and hardly a week goes by without some selection from him. On the anniversary of his death the entire show was devoted to him. He is much loved there. He and John Rutter are two of my favorites. "The Choir" is on hiatus until next month and won't be listed in the lineup until next month.
Long time fan, here. I have both the Boult and Previn collections of the nine symphonies.
Always been close to the top of my list. I’ve performed a lot of his church music.
Perhaps you would be interested in this DVD:
O THOU TRANSCENDENT’
The Life of Ralph Vaughan Williams
2008 marks the 50th anniversary of Vaughan Williams’ death and this timely DVD is the first ever full-length film biography of the great man, produced by the multi-award winning director, TONY PALMER, as featured in Classic FM magazine, December 2007.
Specially recorded extracts from all The Symphonies, Job, The Lark Ascending, and of course The Tallis Fantasia
Archive performances by Sir ADRIAN BOULT, newly discovered interviews with VAUGHAN WILLIAMS himself.
The last ever interview with URSULA VAUGHAN WILLIAMS, and with unexpected contributions from HARRISON BIRTWISTLE, and JOHN ADAMS.
I would like to listen to more of Vaughan Williams. The Fantasia on a Theme By Thomas Tallis is a particular favorite of mine.
In truth, it's hard to compete against the likes of Haydn, Mozart, Beethoven and Brahms.
Still, Handel counts, sort of.
Elgar moves me out of my chair regularly. He was a composer and arranger of the first class, IMHO. His cello, viola or mandolin concerto, whatever it was, is just a transcendent piece of music. No wonder it has been transcribed for everything including kazoo. Elgar's choral music as well is just very emotionally moving. Tremendously visceral stuff
Ralph Vaughn Williams is a composer who make me sit by the radio until the end of a piece wondering, "Who wrote that?" I recognize, enjoy and appreciate him, but can't quote him. That isn't meant to damn with faint praise, but more points out my ignorance and poor education.
Among those English composers who don't enjoy the advantage of being dead yet I think very highly of Gavin Bryars. His orchestral pieces such as RMS Titanic and Jesus' Blood Never Failed Me are among my favorite all time works.
His recording of Jesus' Blood with the London Symphony? and vocals by Tom Waits may be the singularly most moving work of the past 100 years for me. Same category as Mozart's Requiem, Brahms Deutsche Requiem, Bach Cantatas, etc. All are breathtakingly simple evocations of faith.
Contemporary English music is alive and well and very accessible to folks who take the time to listen.