Vaughan Williams' Fantasia on a Theme by Thomas Tallis has become one of British music's most loved compositions. First performed in Gloucester Cathedral in 1910, it sounds both ancient and modern simultaneously, and its use of divided string orchestras and a string quartet made excellent use of the cathedral acoustic for layering the sounds - the second orchestra echoing the first. The music is based around a tune in the phrygian mode by Renaissance composer Thomas Tallis (1505-1585).
This piece by Rob Young gives an excellent overview of the music and it's place in English culture.
I have many recordings of this piece, including the the classic 1963 recording by Barbirolli (I posted the Elgar Introduction and Allegro from this record a while ago). But this time I've chosen a recording made by one of RVW's closest friends and advocates, Sir Adrian Boult, here conducting on a 1970 Lyrita record.
Cartridge: Shelter 5000 MC
Phono amp: Graham Slee Accession MC
Turntable: CTC Classic 301 with SME M2-12R
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