THREE MORE GREAT RECORDINGS
Bryden Thomson (conductor) Yvonne Kenny, Brian Rayner Cook; London Symphony Chorus & Orchestra (1988) Chandos CHAN8764
Bryden Thomson was an underrated conductor, and his complete Vaughan Williams (VW) symphony cycle has long been prized by aficionados. Thomson’s is a richly atmospheric Sea Symphony, with a turbulent opening movement in which the lash of breakers is thrillingly registered, and the London Symphony Chorus makes a specially full-blooded contribution. No choir is more moving at ‘Token of all brave captains’, a section built to a heart-touching peroration by the sturdy hand of Thomson on the tiller. The burnished, resonant Chandos engineering lends a bracing al fresco quality, and there is a genuine sense of new vistas opening in the epic ‘Explorers’ finale, a movement shaped with sensitivity by Thomson. For a single-cd copy of A Sea Symphony, you need look no further.
Mark Elder (conductor) Katherine Broderick, Roderick Williams; Hallé Choir & Orchestra (2014) Hallé CDHLL7542
The opening of Mark Elder’s live recording of A Sea Symphony rivals Boult’s in its grandeur, and when Roderick Williams introduces his ‘rude brief recitative’ it’s obvious that Elder has one of the oakiest, most characterful baritone soloists on record. The Hallé Choir is on its toes throughout, but its impact is hampered by the relatively dry, boxed-in acoustic of the Bridgewater Hall. Elder’s broad tempos – he takes five minutes longer for the work than most rivals – also occasionally sap a sense of forward momentum, particularly in the outer movements. But this is still a strongly stated interpretation of VW’S sea vision, and sounds at its best in 24-bit download format.
Vernon Handley (conductor) Joan Rodgers, William Shimell; Royal Liverpool Philharmonic Choir & Orchestra (1988) Warner Classics 7777698675 (download)
Vernon Handley was a pupil of Adrian Boult, and shared his mentor’s ability to articulate the architectural outlines of a piece of music, without stinting on local detail or diluting moments of raw excitement. Handley’s is a very satisfying Sea Symphony, broadly similar in profile to Boult’s, and boasting a confident, incisive choral contribution. The soloists are excellent too, baritone William Shimell darkhued and authoritative, soprano Joan Rodgers ardently involving. Like Boult, Handley binds the finale together in masterly fashion, and benefits from a rangy recording, as pleasingly layered as any on record. Download is the only way to buy this absorbing performance at present, and it’s to be hoped that Warner Classics has a CD resissue of Handley’s entire VW symphony series in the pipeline.