Title : Vaughan Williams: A Sea Symphony
Author : Vaughan Williams, Ralph
Release Date : 20020723
Binding : Audio CD
Regular Price : $17.98
Amazon.com Price : $13.85
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Editorial Reviews : This beautifully recorded, no-nonsense, not overly sentimental, quick-tempo account of Vaughan Williams's lush choral symphony is most welcome. It's a work that matches the mystical--Walt Whitman's poetry--with some folklike sea rhythms Vaughan Williams tosses into the mix. Though it's perhaps not as warm as some versions, conductor Robert Spano opts for lots of excitement in the grand moments ('Sail forth' in the last movement, for instance). The warmth is written into the music anyway and is present no matter what. The second movement's stillness is as impressive as the 'perfect storm' sections. The playing of the Atlanta Symphony is big and beautiful, and soprano Christine Goerke sings brightly and with ease. Her voice is just the right weight to ride the climaxes and sound intimate in the gentler moments. This is highly recommended. --Robert Levine
Buyer Reviews : This CD marks the first new recording by the ASO Chorus since the death of their founder, Robert Shaw, in 1999, and this CD shows their skills are as polished as ever. That this CD marks one of the few recordings of this work by an American chorus makes it all the more remarkable.
A Sea Symphony, Vaughan Williams's first, is by no means an immature work (at its 1910 première, VW was nearly 40): the orchestra is on par with many of Mahler's works (an organ is recommended, though not required), and the chorus is given a much more prominent role than in most 'choral symphonies' that predated it (there is only one extended section for the soloists without the chorus, at 'O we can wait no longer' in the finale).
Much as they did on their Grammy-winning recording of Vaughan Williams's ~Dona nobis pacem~, the ASO and ASO Chorus play with consummate skill and beauty. The recording is splendid: the climaxes are breathtaking, and the pianissimos perfectly clear. In particular, though, Christine Goerke's performance in what may be the most difficult solo Vaughan Williams wrote (the first movement has her sinking to the A below middle C!) is absolutely radiant, and should not be missed.
I can only hope that the ASO will get around to recording VW's third large-scale choral work, 'Sancta civitas;' they won 3 Grammys for 'Dona nobis pacem,' and I expect this CD will earn nominations as well; this ranks with Boult's 1960s recording of A Sea Symphony and Hickox's recording of 'Sancta civitas' and 'Dona nobis pacem' as one of the best VW recordings ever.
