Vaughan Williams: Symphony No. 5 (SACD review)

Also, Finzi: Concerto for Clarinet and Strings. Michael Collins (clarinet and conductor), Philharmonia Orchestra. BIS-2367 SACD.

By Karl W. Nehring

I strongly suspect I am not alone when I say that Ralph Vaughan Williams ((1872-1958) is one of my favorite composers and that his Symphony No. 5 (1938-43) is not merely one of my favorites among his compositions, it is one of my favorite compositions, period. Somewhere around 40 years ago, I was even fortunate enough to attend a live performance of the work by the Ohio State University student orchestra. I currently own three boxed CD sets of RVW’s symphonies (Haitink, Previn, and Slatkin) plus several individual  CDs of Symphony No. 5 (Previn – on both RCA and Telarc, Boult, Slatkin, Spano, and Hickox). This new BIS release conducted by noted British clarinet virtuoso Michael Collins has nothing to be ashamed of in this heady company. It is definitely a keeper – and for several reasons.

The opening Preludio is a haunting movement, one that just seems to float along with majestic motion, like a river flowing along in a beautiful natural setting, or clouds moving through the sky on a gorgeous summer day. Although the overall mood is pastoral, there are moments when the listener can sense an underlying tension. Collins conducts this music with a subtle flexibility of pace and tempo that enhances the shifts in mood without overtly highlighting them. He moves briskly through the next movement, Scherzo, which maintains a pastoral sound but with a restlessness that seems to represent an unsettled or troubled mind seeking some form of resolution, or at least consolation.

The third movement, Romanza, incorporates musical ideas from RVW’s setting of John Bunyan’s The Pilgrim’s Progress. (I actually attended a performance as an undergraduate back in 1969, but remember virtually nothing about it. And no, I was not high – contrary to the 60s stereotypes – I just really do not remember anything about the music.) After the nervous energy of the Scherzo, the calm but emotionally, even spiritually resonant music provides succor and inspiration to the soul. There are passages of great delicacy as well as moments of measured intensity that are played with expressive power under Collins’s baton. This is music of great power, but it is restrained power, purposeful power. It clearly shows the genius of Ralph Vaughan Williams, a great composer by any measure.

The final movement, Passacaglia, moves along with measured purpose, the music no longer floating along as in the first movement, but with a sense of coming to the end of a memorable journey. Collins again adapts a subtly flexible approach to tempo and volume that serves the music well. The two recordings that I generally listen to when the mood strikes me to hear this symphony have been the two Telarcs, Previn and Spanos. I believe that duo is now a trio.

The other work on this SACD release (I listened to the stereo SACD layer; there are also SACD surround and CD layers) is the Concerto for Clarinet and Strings by Gerald Finzi (1901-1956), who was a friend and admirer of RVW. Finzi is most well-known for his vocal works, but he also wrote some beautiful instrumental music.

Michael Collins

The opening measures of the Concerto feature dramatic decorations by the strings, which are then joined by much more lyrical lines from Collins’s clarinet. As the movement continues, the overall sensation is peaceful and pastoral, gentle and beautiful. Around the 7-minute mark, Collins delights with a solo cadenza that is startling in its emotional impact. The second movement sustains that pastoral mood, opening quietly in the high strings and with introspective, even reverential playing from Collins on the clarinet. Even more so than the opening movement, this is music very much in the English pastoral tradition. About two-thirds of the way through, the tempo and overall energy level pick up for a spell, but then things calm back down, the movement ending quietly. The final movement is considerably livelier and more energetic. Whereas the first two movements were quiet reflections on nature, taking the listener out into the meadows and fields, this final movement takes the listener for a merry imaginary jaunt down a country road, still in nature, but observing at a more determined pace, perhaps heading home with renewed energy and enthusiasm for life.

The engineering on this release is first-rate, from a team led by veteran soundsmith Mike Hatch. The orchestra sounds balanced, with not a trace of harshness to be heard. In the Concerto, the balance between clarinet and orchestra is just right, without the too-close miking of the soloist that would have exaggerated the perceived sonic size of his instrument. Although the liner notes (in English, German, and French) are not particularly expansive in scope, they do provide a helpful overview of the music. With more than 68 minutes of music, the disc is generously filled. One final item note about the physical package is that the disc is enclosed in a paper sleeve, a miniature version of the sleeves that cover vinyl records. Thank you, BIS, for this extra layer of protection!

As I noted above, this new recording of the RVW Symphony No. 5 is a very worthy addition to a crowded field. In addition to the fine performance and sound, and added attraction of this release is the delightful Finzi Clarinet Concerto. Indeed, most releases of the RVW Symphony No. 5 with another RVW symphony or some of his other works. That is all well and good, as just about anything composed by RVW is well worth hearing, but the music of Finzi is generally not nearly as familiar to many music lovers, meaning that this release might well serve to introduce this composer to folks who will then be inspired to seek out other music that they might otherwise have never heard. You can’t go wrong there, folks. Let your Finzi freak flag fly!

KWN

To listen to a brief excerpt from this album, click below: