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The Film Music Of Ralph Vaughan Williams Vol 1 / Gamba
Chandos

The Film Music Of Ralph Vaughan Williams Vol 1 / Gamba

$21.99 Only 2 left

Details

Composer
HOGGER VAUGHAN WILLIAMS
Artist
Gamba, Gamba
Format
CD
Label
Chandos
Released
Sep 01, 2002
Catalog #
CHAN 10007
UPC
095115100721

About

Of all the recent issues in Chandos' excellent series of film scores by British composers, this may well be the most interesting and important, not just because of the stature of Vaughan Williams himself, but also because of his work in recasting the score of Scott of the Antarctic as his Seventh Symphony. Now obviously you have to know the latter work well to get maximum enjoyment out of the former; not that film score isn't enjoyable on its own, but as in so many cases it consists of little bits, some less than a minute long, that often have no form, stop suddenly, and repeat themselves without any ostensible musical purpose. In other words, it's a typical film score. Also, in making the symphony, the composer shrewdly chose all of the most evocative and atmospheric music and very cleverly expanded it, enriching the orchestration and most importantly enhancing its melodic interest. So the symphony actually gives a much more powerful sense of the moods and atmosphere of the film than does the film score itself. Still, here you will find music omitted in the symphony, such as scenes prior to Scott's arrival at the South Pole, or a brief portrait of his sculptress wife, though not surprisingly these contain the least interesting music.


Of the other two pieces here, the Coastal Command Suite is colorful WWII documentary material of minor interest in the context of Vaughan Williams' work, but The People's Land is quite a find, more than 13 minutes of continuous music based on several folksongs. It was composed in 1942 for a brief narrative "infomercial" describing the work of the British National Trust, and it's a fine example of the composer's breezy, "open air" manner that surely deserves some currency as a concert item.


Rumon Gamba leads aptly vigorous performances and the BBC Philharmonic plays with its customary professionalism. The wordless soprano solo in Scott of the Antarctic is taken by one Merryn Gamba, no doubt a relative of the conductor and an excellent argument against nepotism in musical projects. She sounds shrill and quite unpleasant, even from offstage! Big, rich, slightly soft-edged sonics round out a very worthwhile release that all Vaughan Williams fans will want to sample. [11/11/2002]
--David Hurwitz, ClassicsToday.com

Tracklist 27 tracks

  1. 1 I. Main Titles 02:05
    Track
    1
    Title
    I. Main Titles
    Duration
    02:05
    Composer
    Ralph Vaughan Williams
    Performer
    Jonathan Scott
    Ensemble
    BBC Philharmonic Orchestra
    Conductor
    Rumon Gamba
  2. 2 II. Prologue (orch. by S. Hogger) 01:56
    Track
    2
    Title
    II. Prologue (orch. by S. Hogger)
    Duration
    01:56
    Composer
    Ralph Vaughan Williams
    Performer
    Merryn Gamba, Jonathan Scott
    Ensemble
    BBC Philharmonic Orchestra
    Conductor
    Rumon Gamba
  3. 3 III. Doom 01:20
    Track
    3
    Title
    III. Doom
    Duration
    01:20
    Composer
    Ralph Vaughan Williams
    Performer
    Jonathan Scott
    Ensemble
    BBC Philharmonic Orchestra
    Conductor
    Rumon Gamba
  4. 4 IV. Sculpture Scene 02:08
    Track
    4
    Title
    IV. Sculpture Scene
    Duration
    02:08
    Composer
    Ralph Vaughan Williams
    Performer
    Merryn Gamba, Jonathan Scott
    Ensemble
    Sheffield Philharmonic Chorus, BBC Philharmonic Orchestra
    Conductor
    Rumon Gamba
  5. 5 V. Ship's Departure 01:14
    Track
    5
    Title
    V. Ship's Departure
    Duration
    01:14
    Composer
    Ralph Vaughan Williams
    Performer
    Jonathan Scott
    Ensemble
    BBC Philharmonic Orchestra
    Conductor
    Rumon Gamba
  6. 6 VI. Ice Floes 04:48
    Track
    6
    Title
    VI. Ice Floes
    Duration
    04:48
    Composer
    Ralph Vaughan Williams
    Performer
    Jonathan Scott
    Ensemble
    BBC Philharmonic Orchestra
    Conductor
    Rumon Gamba
  7. 7 VII. Penguin Dance 00:53
    Track
    7
    Title
    VII. Penguin Dance
    Duration
    00:53
    Composer
    Ralph Vaughan Williams
    Performer
    Jonathan Scott
    Ensemble
    BBC Philharmonic Orchestra
    Conductor
    Rumon Gamba
  8. 8 VIII. Aurora 02:54
    Track
    8
    Title
    VIII. Aurora
    Duration
    02:54
    Composer
    Ralph Vaughan Williams
    Performer
    Jonathan Scott
    Ensemble
    BBC Philharmonic Orchestra
    Conductor
    Rumon Gamba
  9. 9 IX. Pony March 00:55
    Track
    9
    Title
    IX. Pony March
    Duration
    00:55
    Composer
    Ralph Vaughan Williams
    Performer
    Jonathan Scott
    Ensemble
    BBC Philharmonic Orchestra
    Conductor
    Rumon Gamba
  10. 10 X. Blizzard 02:02
    Track
    10
    Title
    X. Blizzard
    Duration
    02:02
    Composer
    Ralph Vaughan Williams
    Ensemble
    Sheffield Philharmonic Chorus, BBC Philharmonic Orchestra
    Conductor
    Rumon Gamba
  11. 11 XI. Distant Glacier 02:07
    Track
    11
    Title
    XI. Distant Glacier
    Duration
    02:07
    Composer
    Ralph Vaughan Williams
    Performer
    Jonathan Scott
    Ensemble
    BBC Philharmonic Orchestra
    Conductor
    Rumon Gamba
  12. 12 XII. Climbing the Glacier 01:10
    Track
    12
    Title
    XII. Climbing the Glacier
    Duration
    01:10
    Composer
    Ralph Vaughan Williams
    Performer
    Jonathan Scott
    Ensemble
    BBC Philharmonic Orchestra
    Conductor
    Rumon Gamba
  13. 13 XIII. Scott on the Glacier 02:23
    Track
    13
    Title
    XIII. Scott on the Glacier
    Duration
    02:23
    Composer
    Ralph Vaughan Williams
    Performer
    Jonathan Scott
    Ensemble
    BBC Philharmonic Orchestra
    Conductor
    Rumon Gamba
  14. 14 XIV. Snow Plain 03:11
    Track
    14
    Title
    XIV. Snow Plain
    Duration
    03:11
    Composer
    Ralph Vaughan Williams
    Performer
    Jonathan Scott
    Ensemble
    BBC Philharmonic Orchestra
    Conductor
    Rumon Gamba
  15. 15 XV. The Return 01:41
    Track
    15
    Title
    XV. The Return
    Duration
    01:41
    Composer
    Ralph Vaughan Williams
    Performer
    Jonathan Scott
    Ensemble
    BBC Philharmonic Orchestra
    Conductor
    Rumon Gamba
  16. 16 XVI. Descending the Glacier 02:37
    Track
    16
    Title
    XVI. Descending the Glacier
    Duration
    02:37
    Composer
    Ralph Vaughan Williams
    Performer
    Jonathan Scott
    Ensemble
    BBC Philharmonic Orchestra
    Conductor
    Rumon Gamba
  17. 17 XVII. The Deaths of Evans and Oates 05:17
    Track
    17
    Title
    XVII. The Deaths of Evans and Oates
    Duration
    05:17
    Composer
    Ralph Vaughan Williams
    Performer
    Merryn Gamba, Jonathan Scott
    Ensemble
    Sheffield Philharmonic Chorus, BBC Philharmonic Orchestra
    Conductor
    Rumon Gamba
  18. 18 XVIII. End Titles 02:31
    Track
    18
    Title
    XVIII. End Titles
    Duration
    02:31
    Composer
    Ralph Vaughan Williams
    Ensemble
    BBC Philharmonic Orchestra
    Conductor
    Rumon Gamba
  19. 19 I. Prelude 01:40
    Track
    19
    Title
    I. Prelude
    Duration
    01:40
    Composer
    Ralph Vaughan Williams
    Ensemble
    BBC Philharmonic Orchestra
    Conductor
    Rumon Gamba
  20. 20 II. The Hebrides 02:06
    Track
    20
    Title
    II. The Hebrides
    Duration
    02:06
    Composer
    Ralph Vaughan Williams
    Ensemble
    BBC Philharmonic Orchestra
    Conductor
    Rumon Gamba
  21. 21 III. U-boat Alert 02:54
    Track
    21
    Title
    III. U-boat Alert
    Duration
    02:54
    Composer
    Ralph Vaughan Williams
    Ensemble
    BBC Philharmonic Orchestra
    Conductor
    Rumon Gamba
  22. 22 IV. Taking-off at Night 02:00
    Track
    22
    Title
    IV. Taking-off at Night
    Duration
    02:00
    Composer
    Ralph Vaughan Williams
    Ensemble
    BBC Philharmonic Orchestra
    Conductor
    Rumon Gamba
  23. 23 V. The Hudsons take-off from Iceland 02:21
    Track
    23
    Title
    V. The Hudsons take-off from Iceland
    Duration
    02:21
    Composer
    Ralph Vaughan Williams
    Ensemble
    BBC Philharmonic Orchestra
    Conductor
    Rumon Gamba
  24. 24 VI. Dawn Patrol [Quiet Determination] 04:01
    Track
    24
    Title
    VI. Dawn Patrol [Quiet Determination]
    Duration
    04:01
    Composer
    Ralph Vaughan Williams
    Ensemble
    BBC Philharmonic Orchestra
    Conductor
    Rumon Gamba
  25. 25 VII. Battle of the Beauforts 03:52
    Track
    25
    Title
    VII. Battle of the Beauforts
    Duration
    03:52
    Composer
    Ralph Vaughan Williams
    Ensemble
    BBC Philharmonic Orchestra
    Conductor
    Rumon Gamba
  26. 26 VIII. Finale 04:49
    Track
    26
    Title
    VIII. Finale
    Duration
    04:49
    Composer
    Ralph Vaughan Williams
    Ensemble
    BBC Philharmonic Orchestra
    Conductor
    Rumon Gamba
  27. 27 The People’s Land 13:17
    Track
    27
    Title
    The People’s Land
    Duration
    13:17
    Composer
    Ralph Vaughan Williams
    Ensemble
    BBC Philharmonic Orchestra
    Conductor
    Rumon Gamba