Ralph Vaughan Williams

The Barbirolli Society's new 2-CD release brings together ‘live’ recordings, from the late 1950s, of Sir John conducting the George Enescu Philharmonic Orchestra and the RAI Symphony Orchestra, Turin. The complete concert from the Romanian Atheneum, Bucharest in September 1958 consisted of Wagner’s Overture to Die Meistersinger von Nürnberg, Vaughan Williams’s Fanstasia on a Theme by Thomas Tallis, Debussy’s La Mer and Beethoven’s Symphony No.7.

The George Enescu Philharmonic was founded in 1868, the Romanian Philharmonic Society, conducted by Eduard Wachman, aimed at creating a permanent symphonic orchestra in order to promote musical culture and popularise classical music. When the palace of the Romanian Athenaeum was inaugurated, on 15 March 1889, concerts began to be held there, asnow, and is the headquarters of the Philharmonic. Eduard Wachman, conducted until 1907, and was succeeded by Dimitrie Dinicu, then in 1920, by George Georgescu, a remarkable conductor, student of Arthur Nikisch and Richard Strauss. After George Enescu died, in 1955, the Philharmonic took his name.

The five movements from Holst’s The Planets (Mars, Venus, Mercury, Uranus and Jupiter) comes from a concert in Turin on15 November 1957.

The Aronowitz Ensemble was formed in 2004 out of the desire of seven outstanding young international artists to explore and perform chamber music together in the highly adaptable combination of string sextet and piano.

Previously members of the BBC's prestigious New Generation Artists scheme, the Aronowitz Ensemble's performances have been regularly featured on BBC Radio 3. Broadcasts included concerts at BBC Proms, Wigmore Hall, the Sage, Gateshead, and in Glasgow, as well as concerts at the Bath, City of London and Tetbury Festivals and a residence at the Two Moors Festival.

This is the Aronowitz Ensemble’s first CD release, featuring two key works of the British ensemble repertoire, coupled with a premiere recording of a new work from Huw Watkins written specially for the Aronowitz Ensemble, commissioned by the BBC and premiered at the BBC Proms in 2008.

The Aronowitz Ensemble has recently been awarded a Borletti-Buitoni Special Ensemble Scholarship.

The Aronowitz Ensemble; Magnus Johnston & Nadia Wijzenbeek – violin, Jennifer Stumm & Tom Hankey – viola, Guy Johnston & Marie Macleod – cello, Tom Poster - piano

This CD features songs by Vaughan Williams and Quilter, and is the premiere recording of The Bliss of Solitude by Andrew Wright. He was a member of the Tallis Scholars and has been director of music at Brentwood Cathedral for many years. Initially, Wright set a couple of Wordsworth’s texts and then worked them into a song cycle and the result is stunning. The work reflects his knowledge of the voice and love of nature. This CD was recorded in Brentwood Cathedral.

Sir John was born in Holborn, London, on 2 December 1899. His father and grandfather were both professional violinists who had settled in London from Italy and were employed in theatre orchestras around the West End. They had also been members of the orchestra at La Scala Opera House in Milan and had played under Arturo Toscanini. Barbirolli's mother came from a town on the Atlantic coast in the south-west of France.

The EMI Classics catalogue of recordings includes many unique treasures by most of the great musicians of the 20th century, but few are greater than those made for the Company by Sir John. This set not only includes some of the truly incomparable interpretations he made for EMI but also some he made during the period he was with Pye. Many of these are with his beloved Hallé Orchestra, the orchestra with which he became most closely associated during the last 30 years of his life.

Barbirolli had an enormous love of English music and was one of its greatest exponents. More than any other conductor he revived the public's affection for the music of Elgar back in the 60s, when EMI issued his irreplaceable Elgar recordings, virtually all of which have never been out of the catalogue.

Perhaps the best-known of Barbirolli's Elgar recordings is that of the Cello Concerto with the young Jacqueline du Pré. In this set we have taken the opportunity to re-issue the earlier recording of the Concerto with André Navarra. This is a marvellous performance that has largely been over-shadowed by the du Pré, but it is no less excellent and deserving of wider appreciation.

The music of Delius was another of Barbirolli's great loves and his recordings rival those by Beecham, who was regarded as Delius's prime advocate. Here we have two works by Delius: the beautiful orchestral interlude from the opera A Village

Romeo and Juliet and one of his longer tone poems. Barbirolli's final recording was of music by Delius, made in the month of his death.

Vaughan Williams's music had a prominent place in Barbirolli's repertoire and, being a Londoner, the London Symphony had a very special place in Sir John's affections. His excellent 1957 Pye recording with the Hallé Orchestra is featured here. Barbirolli made the first ever recording of the Fifth Symphony for EMI in 1944 and it was this 1962 Philharmoniarecording that marked his return to EMI, after a seven year period of recording for Pye.

As well as these three great English composers we also have music by Bax, Butterworth and Ireland, whose music was also very close to Sir John's heart. The recordings of Bax's The Garden of Fand and Butterworth's A Shropshire Lad are being released on CD for the first time.

English music was not the only great love of Sir John's life. From early in his career he championed the music of Sibelius and recorded some of its greatest interpretations. His 1962 recording of the Second Symphony, made with the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra for Reader's Digest, has still to be surpassed, and the Violin Concerto he did with Ida Haendel for EMI is still among the best. Sibelius is here represented with a selection of short orchestral pieces, most notable amongst which is a stunning performance of Pohjola's Daughter. French music, too, was another musical genre in which Sir John excelled and the recordings he made for Pye in the late 50s received rave reviews when they were first issued.

In the mid-sixties EMI went with Sir John to Vienna to record a very successful cycle of Brahms's Symphonies with the Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra. The recordings were singled out not only for the quality of the orchestral playing but also for the excellent quality of the recorded sound; this version of No.3 was reckoned to be the best of the interpretations.

Tchaikovsky is not a composer one necessarily associates with Barbirolli but the 1957 recording of Symphony No.4 that he made with the Hallé is an exceptionally exciting performance. The 1964 recording of the popular Serenade for Strings, made with the London Symphony Orchestra, is extremely fine with an exquisite third movement.

Barbirolli came late to the music of Mahler and it was not until he was in his sixties that he made the first of only a handful of marvellous recordings. He made this recording of the Fifth, and the Five Rückert Lieder with Janet Baker and the NewPhilharmonia, just a year before he died.

Throughout his life Sir John loved to conduct operas, especially those by Verdi and Puccini, and it is only fitting that we should include on the final disc of this set some excerpts from one of the finest Butterfly recordings ever made.

Ralph Vaughan Williams’s sublime Mass in G minor reveals the composer’s absorbing interest in using the modal harmonic language and contrapuntal textures of the English late Renaissance to achieve a huge emotional and dynamic range.

Undoubtedly the most technically demanding work on this disc is A Vision of Aeroplanes, a virtuosic motet for mixed chorus and organ.

Several neglected works also feature here, including The Voice out of the Whirlwind, an anthem for mixed chorus and orchestra or organ, and Valiant-for-truth, one of several works based on Bunyan’s Christian allegory The Pilgrim’s Progress.

A compilation of twentieth century English choral music performed by the Choir of Christ Church Cathedral, Oxford. Composers include Walton, Vaughan Williams, Tippett, Stanford, Charles Wood, Howells, Ley, Harris and Rutter.

“Here is choral singing of the very highest order” Of Tippett choral works (Gramophone)

Dutton Epoch’s world premiere recording of Vaughan Williams’s Heroic Elegy & Triumphal Epilogue is a terrific find. Much more than an interesting early work, it is a vibrant and haunting score that in its time (it dates from 1901) must have been found truly pioneering. It is now revealed as a cherishable score to join the regular RVW canon. The programme also includes five unheard short pieces by William Alwyn, all brilliant and characteristic of the composer. York Bowen’s gorgeously romantic tone poem Eventide proves to be a really lovely discovery, while three delightful movements from Parry’s incidental music to Hypatia include Orestes March, a catchy number that you will soon be whistling in the bath.

Bill Ives leads the famed Choir of Magdalen College Choir in this selection of choral favorites for Advent and Christmas.The music on this recording ranges from quiet reflection and anticipation to the excitement and celebration of the birth of Jesus and the coming of the Wise Men. Magdalen College is one of the oldest choral foundations in England, with an unbroken tradition stretching back to 1480.The Choir retains much the same shape as it had in the 15th-century, with 16 boy Choristers (educated at Magdalen College School) and 12 adult Academical Clerks (undergraduates of the College).

Choir of King’s College, Cambridge, Celebrates The 80th Anniversary Broadcast of Its Christmas Eve Service and The 800th Anniversary Of Cambridge University.

The 2008 Festival of Nine Lessons and Carols, recorded live by BBC Radio 3 in "the magnificent recording studio that is King’s College Chapel.” The service marked the 80th anniversary of its first BBC broadcast and the start of a year-long celebration of the 800th anniversary of Cambridge University. The Choir of King’s College, Cambridge, is conducted by its Director of Music, Stephen Cleobury.

The Choir of King’s College, Cambridge, founded in the 15th century, has been described as “a crowning glory of our civilisation.” It is famous the world over for its quintessentially English sound and, in particular, for its iconic Christmas Eve service, A Festival of Nine Lessons and Carols, introduced in 1918 as a more imaginative approach to worship. The choice of carols varies each year. Held in King’s College Chapel and broadcast by the BBC since 1928 (with the exception of 1930), the service is currently broadcast internationally. Thus, every year, millions of listeners around the world, from adventurers at the foot of Everest and the middle of desert to families making their own Christmas preparations at home, are able to share the traditional English Christmas Eve service with those seated in the pews at King’s College Chapel.

When Stephen Cleobury became Director of Music at King’s in 1982, he added a “new” tradition to the service. Eager to embrace contemporary music and incorporate it into the existing format, Cleobury began commissioning a new carol each year for inclusion in the Festival of Nine Lessons and Carols. The 2008 programme includes Illuminare Jerusalem by Judith Weir (1985), What sweeter music by John Rutter (1987) and Mary, commissioned from Dominic Muldowney for the 2008 service.

Another “new” composer represented in the 2008 service is Peter Tranchell (1922-1993), former University of Cambridge lecturer in Music, whose contribution is If ye would hear the angels sing. The other carols are traditional, some well known (O come, all ye faithful; God rest ye merry, gentlemen; Hark! The herald-angels sing), others less so (Angels from the realms of glory; Infant holy, Infant lowly; A spotless rose).

The Choir of King’s College, Cambridge consists of sixteen choristers and fourteen choral scholars. It was founded in response to King Henry VI’s desire for daily sung services in his magnificent chapel and this remains its primary purpose. Its international reputation, established by the radio broadcast of the Festival of Nine Lessons and Carols, has been consolidated by regular international tours and by the critical and commercial success of its EMI Classics releases.

“King’s College, Cambridge, is a byword for the very best in Christmas music”. BBC Music Magazine

“I would happily sit in King’s College Chapel listening to this choir sing for the rest of my days.” The Times