Bergen Philharmonic Orchestra & Sir Andrew Davis - Vaughan Williams: Job & Symphony No. 9 (2017) [Hi-Res]

Tracklist
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01. Job: Scene 1a, Introduction
02. Job: Scene 1b, Sarabande of the Sons of God
03. Job: Scene 2, Satan's Dance of Triumph
04. Job: Scene 3, Minuet of the Sons of Job & Their Wives
05. Job: Scene 4, Job's Dream
06. Job: Scene 5, Dance of the 3 Messengers
07. Job: Scene 6, Dance of Job's Comforters
08. Job: Scene 7a, Elihu's Dance of Youth & Beauty
09. Job: Scene 7b, Pavane of the Sons of the Morning
10. Job: Scene 8a, Galliard of the Sons of the Morning
11. Job: Scene 8b, Altar Dance
12. Job: Scene 9, Epilogue
13. Symphony No. 9 in E Minor: I. Moderato maestoso
14. Symphony No. 9 in E Minor: II. Andante sostenuto
15. Symphony No. 9 in E Minor: III. Scherzo. Allegro pesante
16. Symphony No. 9 in E Minor: IV. Andante tranquillo

The projected complete cycle of Vaughan Williams’s symphonies started by the late Richard Hickox has left a precious heritage in the discography of the composer.

Now, conducting the Bergen Philharmonic Orchestra, that other expert in British repertoire, Sir Andrew Davis, takes on the challenge of completing the series with idiomatic interpretations of two masterpieces: the final Symphony (No. 9) and the ballet Job.

The score of Job places an emphasis on tableau-like scenes, dances, and mime, linking it to a tradition of English ballet with dances from the seventeenth century, including the saraband, pavane, and galliard. In this masterly score, Vaughan Williams captures the conflict between good and evil, between the spiritual and the material. Job shows a strength, beauty, nobility, and visionary power which unite the many different facets of Vaughan Williams’s musical style. The poignant and musically enigmatic Symphony No. 9 marks ‘the end of Ralph’s life and [is] a turning point. It is leading out into another place. It is extraordinary’, as the composer’s wife stated after one of the early performances.

The subtle direction of Sir Andrew Davis combined with the pure sound quality of this HiRes recording does full justice to Hickox’s great enterprise and promises a powerful conclusion of this already acclaimed recorded cycle.

"a performance of striking composure, lustre and palpable dedication. Not only do the Bergen Philharmonic respond with notable poise and eagerness (solo contributions are of the highest quality throughout), Davis conducts with unobtrusive authority as well as a sure hand on the structural tiller, uncovering a wealth of telling harmonic and textural detail along the way." (Gramophone Magazine)

"The versatile Bergen band clearly revel in the expansive, unmistakably “English” tunes and the sometimes exotic orchestration...Davis today has no peers in this repertoire, which, added to Chandos’s brilliantly “present” sound engineering, makes this a self-recommending issue." (Sunday Times)

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