Hickox, Davis: Vaughan Williams – Complete Symphonies (24/96 FLAC)

Composer: Ralph Vaughan Williams
Performer: Susan Gritton, Gerald Finley, Rebecca Evans, Mari Eriksmoen, Bergen Philharmonic Choir, Edvard Grieg Kor, London Symphony Chorus
Orchestra: London Symphony Orchestra, Bergen Philharmonic Orchestra
Conductor: Richard Hickox, Sir Andrew Davis
Number of Discs: 6
Format: FLAC (tracks)
Label: Chandos
Catalogue: CHSA 5303(6)
Release: 2022
Size: 7.51 GB
Recovery: +3%
Scan: yes

CD 01
Symphony No. 1 “A Sea Symphony”
01. No. 1, A Song for All Seas, All Ships
02. No. 2, On the Beach at Night, Alone
03. No. 3, Scherzo. The Waves
04. No. 4, The Explorers

CD 02
Symphony No. 2 “A London Symphony”
01. I. Lento – Allegro risoluto
02. II. Lento
03. III. Scherzo (Nocturne)
04. IV. Andante con moto

CD 03
Symphony No. 3 “Pastoral Symphony”
01. I. Molto moderato
02. II. Lento moderato
03. III. Moderato pesante
04. IV. Lento

Symphony No. 4
05. I. Allegro
06. II. Andante moderato
07. III. Scherzo
08. IV. Finale con Epilogo Fugato

CD 04
Symphony No. 5
01. I. Preludio
02. II. Scherzo
03. III. Romanza
04. IV. Passacaglia

Symphony No. 6
05. I. Allegro
06. II. Moderato
07. III. Scherzo
08. IV. Epilogue

CD 05
Symphony No. 7 “Sinfonia antartica”
01. No. 1, Prelude
02. No. 2, Scherzo
03. No. 3, Landscape
04. No. 4, Intermezzo
05. No. 5, Epilogue

Symphony No. 9
06. I. Moderato maestoso
07. II. Andante sostenuto
08. III. Scherzo
09. IV. Andante tranquillo

CD 06
Symphony No. 8
01. I. Fantasia (Variazioni senza tema)
02. II. Scherzo alla marcia
03. III. Cavatina
04. IV. Toccata colle campanelle

Ralph Vaughan Williams reminisces
05. No. 1, Broadcast Introduction
06. No. 2, Lecture Introduction
07. No. 3, Ralph Vaughan Williams discusses Parry
08. No. 4, Ralph Vaughan Williams discusses Stanford

09. Barbara Hooper interviews Sir John Barbirolli
10. Robert Layton interviews Sir Adrian Boult
11. Ursula Vaughan Williams reminisces

To celebrate the 150th anniversary of the birth of Vaughan Williams, we are proud to reissue this outstanding symphony cycle. Started in 1999 by Richard Hickox and the London Symphony Orchestra, this was the first Vaughan Williams symphony cycle to be recorded in Surround Sound and released on Hybrid SACD. Tragically, Richard Hickox died before he was able to complete the project a task that was undertaken by Sir Andrew Davis and the Bergen Philharmonic Orchestra. This reissue is priced at 6 discs for the price of 2, and features almost an hour of bonus material broadcast interviews with Sir Adrian Boult and Sir John Barbirolli, and reminiscences from both Ursula Vaughan Williams and the composer himself.