Bergen Philharmonic Orchestra & Sir Andrew Davis - Vaughan Williams: Sinfonia antartica, Concerto for 2 Pianos & 4 Last Songs (2017)

Tracklist
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01. Symphony No. 7 "Sinfonia antartica": I. Prelude. Andante maestoso
02. Symphony No. 7 "Sinfonia antartica": II. Scherzo. Moderato
03. Symphony No. 7 "Sinfonia antartica": III. Landscape. Lento
04. Symphony No. 7 "Sinfonia antartica": IV. Intermezzo. Andante sostenuto
05. Symphony No. 7 "Sinfonia antartica": V. Epilogue. Alla marcia, moderato non troppo allegro
06. 4 Last Songs: No. 1, Procris
07. 4 Last Songs: No. 2, Tired
08. 4 Last Songs: No. 3, Hands, Eyes & Heart
09. 4 Last Songs: No. 4, Menelaus
10. Concerto for 2 Pianos in C Major: I. Toccata. Allegro moderato
11. Concerto for 2 Pianos in C Major: II. Romanza. Lento
12. Concerto for 2 Pianos in C Major: IIIa. Fuga chromatica. Allegro
13. Concerto for 2 Pianos in C Major: IIIb. Finale alla tedesca


This is the eagerly awaited final volume in our historic series of Vaughan Williams’s Symphonies, started about twenty-five years ago by the late Richard Hickox, and recently continued by that other expert in British repertoire, Sir Andrew Davis. The album features an exceptional cast and a rare combination of repertoire. While the indefatigable piano duo Louis Lortie and Hélène Mercier tackle the virtuosic Double Piano Concerto, the baritone Roderick Williams OBE offers breathtaking interpretations of the rarely heard, yet passionate Four Last Songs, in Anthony Payne’s delicate and imaginative orchestration, premiered at the BBC Proms only four years ago. Vaughan Williams based the disc’s centrepiece, the majestic Sinfonia Antartica, on music he had written for the film Scott of the Antarctic only a few years before, stunningly evoking the implacable, frozen landscape of the Antarctic. All are supported by the impeccable Bergen orchestra and choirs and recorded in surround-sound. This album is a very special one, as is the now complete series.

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