London Symphony Orchestra & Richard Hickox – Vaughan Williams: Overture to The Wasps & A Sea Symphony (2007/2022) [Official Digital Download 24bit/48kHz]

London Symphony Orchestra & Richard Hickox – Vaughan Williams: Overture to The Wasps & A Sea Symphony (2007/2022)
FLAC (tracks) 24 bit/48 kHz | Time – 01:16:19 minutes | 663 MB | Genre: Classical
Studio Masters, Official Digital Download | Front Cover | © Chandos Records

Sea Symphony is Vaughan Williams’s response to Walt Whitman’s inspirational, visionary verse. It is recorded here from the June 2006 highly-praised performance by London Symphony Orchestra and Symphony Chorus with soloists Gerald Finley and Susan Gritton, and Richard Hickox at the helm. The symphony is coupled with his much-loved overture to The Wasps and the dynamism of the concert performance is preserved in high-resolution audio.

In the early years of the 20th century, the sea was a popular subject among composers, for along with the poetry of Walt Whitman. Settings by Stanford, Charles Wood and others paved the way for Vaughan Williams, who brought these inspirations together in A Sea Symphony, a full-scale choral symphony for soprano, baritone, chorus and orchestra. Much of the music is descriptive of the sea, particularly ‘The Waves’, but in the other movements the sea becomes a metaphor for a voyage into eternity. In this performance, its arresting opening, the choral exhortation ‘Behold the Sea’, is dispatched in style by the London Symphony Chorus. Hickox brings out the optimistic tone, and Whitman’s emphasis on the unity of being and the brotherhood of man comes through strongly; there is no mistaking the physical exhilaration or the visionary rapture.

This is fundamental Vaughan Williams, conducted by the best British music interpreter of our generation and the only available live recording. If you have loved the Hickox, LSO and Chandos combination previously – this is an essential addition to the collection.

“…the account of “A Sea Symphony” was little short of a triumph.” (Richard Whitehouse)

“Richard Hickox has a better grasp than most of this symphony as a whole statement – or, rather, a journey… The choral singing is as alert and secure as one would expect from Hickox, and the balance with the orchestra is well-judged too, with some fine detail emerging more clearly than on any recording I’ve heard before.” (BBC Music Magazine)

“His {Hickox’s] tempos are conventional, much like those of Boult, but slower than the more active Haitink. The soloists are very good, and the 170-member LSO chorus is really smashing – indeed, overpowering sometimes. The LSO itself, about the best UK orchestra currently, is also at the top of its form… This Chandos offering is distinguishes by the sheer presence, accuracy, solidity, and stability of its distortionless sonic image and its wide range of dynamics. It is truly sound of demonstration quality.” (American Record Guide)

“Hickox, I think, is always at his best when there’s a chorus involved, so it’s no surprise that his traversal of the symphony is so effective. The outer movements have plenty of sweep, the slow movement is atmospheric, and the Scherzo is good and tight…The choral work, as you’d expect from Hickox, is first-rate…The soloists are both quite fine…” (Fanfare)

Tracklist:
1-01. Richard Hickox – The Wasps: Aristophanic Suite. Overture (09:58)
1-02. Richard Hickox – No. 1, A Song for All Seas, All Ships (19:06)
1-03. Richard Hickox – No. 2, On the Beach at Night, Alone (10:56)
1-04. Richard Hickox – No. 3, Scherzo. The Waves (07:54)
1-05. Richard Hickox – No. 4, The Explorers (28:23)

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