David Willcocks, Choir of Clare College Cambridge, English Voices, Dmitri Ensemble
Release Date: 27 July 2009
Label: Albion Records
Packaging Type: Jewel Case
No of Units: 1
Barcode: 5060158190102
Description
The world première recordings of Vaughan Williams's Cantata 'Folk Songs of the Four Seasons', masterfully recorded under the baton of Sir David Willcocks in January 2009.
Folk Songs of the Four Seasons, a Cantata for Women's Voices, brought together two vital elements in Vaughan Williams' musical character: his strong support for amateur music making and his life-long love for English folksongs and folk-carols. The work was commissioned by the National Federation of Women's Institutes for their first Singing Festival in 1950.
In Windsor Forest is a cantata drawn from Vaughan Williams's opera Sir John in Love, which in turn is based on The Merry Wives of Windsor, his favourite Shakespeare play. He interpolated into the text various lyrics from Elizabethan poets as well as from other Shakespeare plays. Believing that there would be few performances of the opera, Vaughan Williams adapted the cantata in order to provide a practical alternative for mixed chorus and orchestra. The arrangement on this recording, for women's voices, which is the world premiere recording, was made by Guthrie Foote, Production Manager at the Oxford University Press, in 1954 in collaboration with the composer.
The Choir of Clare College enjoys an international reputation as one of the leading Oxbridge college choirs. It tours regularly and has made a number of highly acclaimed recordings. Its repertoire is extensive and includes much contemporary music. This recording, by the women's only voices of Clare Choir, was the choir's first collaboration with Sir David Willcocks (1919-2015).
Reviews
The performance of the cantata is excellent, but then one would expect nothing less from the veteran David Willcocks, 90 in December, but on this evidence still an energetic figure on the rostrum. --International Record Review, October 2009
A world premiere recording of works by Vaughan Williams is surely at this date something of a world event. --Gramophone, November 2009
Of the five Albion discs issued to date the most ambitious and exciting is this latest. The CD redresses a longstanding lacuna in the RVW recorded music catalogue. This recording is by a venerable doyen among the British choral traditions: Sir David Willcocks. Be assured, the roster for the 'Ensemble' takes it to full orchestra strength. This is not some cut–down chamber grouping, and the listening experience bears this out very convincingly. RVW writes with light in his pen and light shines through these cleverly laid out and lovingly performed movements. --Rob Barnett, Musicweb International
Tracklisting
Tredegar Town Band, Ross Knight, Ian Porthouse, Martyn Brabbins
Alessandro Fisher, William Vann, The Navarra Quartet
Adrian Sims & Alan Rowlands
David Briggs
Chapel Choir Of The Royal Hospital, Joshua Ryan & William Vann
Timothy West, Samuel West, Mary Bevan, Sophie Bevan, Choir Of Clare College, Cambridge, Britten Sinfonia, William Vann
Various
John Gielgud, Adrian Boult
The Gesualdo Six / Owain Park
La Compagnia del Madrigale
Cappella Pratensis, Stratton Bull, Sollazzo Ensemble
Frieder Bernius, Klassische Philharmonie Stuttgart, Barockorchester Stuttgart, Hofkapelle Stuttgart
Collegium Cantorum Choir, Janusz Siadlak
Sing in Solidarity, Brass Band of Columbus, and Chris Westover-Munoz
Le Concert Spirituel; Herve Niquet
Ars Antiqua Austria; Gunar Letzbor
