ヴォーン・ウィリアムズ: 作品集

ヴォーン・ウィリアムズ生誕150年を記念した企画。このアルバム制作のきっかけとなったのは、最後に置かれた演奏時間15分半の「旧詩篇歌第104篇に基づく変奏曲風幻想曲」で、ピアノ独奏と合唱及びオーケストラを要する編成ゆえか演奏機会に恵まれませんが、マーク・ベビントンとヒラリー・ダヴァン・ウェットンはこの記念すべき年に新録音を発表すべく奮起しました。他にも演奏機会が多いとは言えない曲を収録。
唯一の有名曲「揚げひばり」はポピュラーなオーケストラ版ではなく、オリジナルのピアノ伴奏版で録音しています。
ナクソス・ジャパン

Conductor Hilary Davan Wetton and the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra get top billing here under pianist Mark Bebbington, who is heard on every track on the album. However, the only piece on which the orchestra is heard is the last one, the Fantasia on the "Old 104th" Psalm Tune; the rest is chamber music. The Fantasia was last recorded in 1970, and pretty much everything here qualifies as a rarity; the exception might be The Lark Ascending, but even that is heard in its much rarer violin-and-piano version rather than the one for violin and orchestra. The Fantasia on the "Old 104th" Psalm Tune is the highlight. It is written for the rare combination of piano, orchestra, and chorus and might have been influenced by Beethovens Choral Fantasy, Op. 80. At the very least, it has a rousing choral conclusion that is informed by Vaughan Williams particular brand of mysticism, and the forces here make a good case for its revival with an intense, exciting performance. The other large work is the Piano Quintet in C minor, an early work from 1903. Vaughan Williams distinctive voice appears only intermittently here (try the second subject of the first movement), and the work was suppressed by the composers widow until decades after his death. Yet, for Vaughan Williams fans, it is a gold mine. The same could be said of much of the album, and the Fantasia on the "Old 104th" Psalm Tune is a genuine find. ~ James Manheim