Page 455 - Liverpool Philharmonic 22-23 Season Coverage Book

12 October 2022

Vaughan Williams's Fifth Symphony
A survey of some recent recordings
by William Hedley

I wrote a survey of recordings of Vaughan Williams’s Fifth Symphony for the
October 2001 issue of the Ralph Vaughan Williams Society Journal and
then republished on MusicWeb International. Listening to and reporting on all
those performances of this gloriously life-affirming symphony under the
direction of so many great conductors was a labour of love. Many new
performances have appeared in the intervening years, and though I have not
been able to hear them all I hope the following notes will be of interest to
collectors. Much of what follows has already appeared elsewhere, which fact
will be betrayed by the occasional repetition or cross-reference. I have also
not hesitated to call upon others where I needed help and/or support!

Vaughan Williams/London Philharmonic Orchestra, 1952 (Somm)
I first read The Orchestra Speaks, first published in 1938, when I was at
school. Its author, Bernard Shore, was principal viola of the BBC Symphony
Orchestra. It is a study of the most eminent conductors of the day, as viewed
from the seat of a member of the orchestra. In a chapter entitled ‘Modern
Music’, Shore discusses composers who also conduct. He has a few things to
say about Ralph Vaughan Williams. He was, first of all, ‘a delight to any
English orchestra.’ As for technique, ‘His stick is clear enough for his needs,
and though he may not give the impression of effortless ease in his
movements and gestures … there is a grand solidity and structure about any
performance he is directing.’ Above all, according to Shore, the composer’s
modesty and humility endeared him to orchestras – ‘he cannot ever take
himself at his full worth’ – and encouraged them to give of their best. This
composer-conducted performance of the Fifth is described on the back of the
CD as: ‘Recorded off the air during a Prom Concert given at the Royal Albert
Hall on 3rd September 1952.’ Vaughan Williams’s incandescent recorded
performance of his own Fourth Symphony is rightly viewed as one of the
finest available, and this performance, too, is a precious, even indispensable
document. The performance flows at a natural pace, with no exaggeration.
The composer avoids any suggestion of lingering in the Romanza, where he
takes a full two minutes less than some more recent interpreters. The work is
well played by the London Philharmonic Orchestra and the sound – CD
mastering by Gary Moore – is as good as, perhaps even better, than one
would expect given its age and sources.

Alexander Gibson/Royal Philharmonic Orchestra, 1982 (EMI Classics)
When I wrote the original article, I was unable to locate a copy of Sir