Following their recently acclaimed recording successes with Libor Pesek for Virgin, in works as diverse as Suk's Asrael Symphony, and the Ninth Symphony of Mahler, the Royal Liverpool Philharmonic Orchestra are now heard to similar advantage in this new Vaughan Williams release. Under Vernon Handley, they again sound committed and authoritative, especially in the two large-scale works for strings.
The comparative rarity here is the Partita for Double String Orchestra, whose general neglect stems in part from the intimidating technical demands placed upon the players. Moreover, the work's unusual scoring can give rise to balance problems within the two string groups. In common with Tippett's Concerto for double string orchestra, the Partita is by turns athletic and reflective in mood. Vaughan Williams exploits every opportunity to harness difficult cross-rhythms, syncopations and off-beat accents to generate a galvanic propulsive impetus, reminiscent of Stravinsky or even Bartok. The RLPO strings respond with evident conviction to Handley's exacting direction, whilst the various solo contributions are first-rate. There is little to choose, in fact, between this and Bryden Thomson's performance on Chandos, although possibly, with its slightly more analytical sound quality, this new reading just has the edge.
The Tallis Fantasia is equally well presented, and it is refreshing to note that unlike some con- ductors, Handley eschews any temptation to over-romanticize this work, by exploiting its episodic as well as dramatic possibilities. The hushed stasis of the opening is realized most beautifully by the RLPO strings, and throughout, the solo playing is also admirable. For once, the recording itself does not diminish the arresting antiphonal effects, and this work could hardly be better served in this regard.
Jonathan Small is the soloist in the Oboe Concerto; a work with strong Liverpudlian associations, having been premiered by the orchestra at the Philharmonic Hall in 1945. Few recorded interpretations probe so searchingly into its world of pastoral contemplation, and only rarely have the work's close sympathies with the prevailing mood of the Fifth Symphony been so eloquently expounded. The soloist responds readily to such qualities of sublime benediction, and to those moments of puckish humour in the faster sections of the concerto. Vernon Handley and the string players of the RLPO match him well in contributing to an idiomatic and stylish reading, which has been sensitively recorded.
Both of the remaining works have achieved enduring popularity, although the English Folk-Song Suite is played more frequently today in its military or wind band forms, than in the orchestral version offered here. Along with the perennial Fantasia on Greensleeves, it completes this first-class collection, which is excellently played and brilliantly recorded. Once again, as if confirmation were needed these days, the RLPO continues to demonstrate that it is now a major force to be reckoned with.
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