Given its premiere at a Prom concert in 1943, Vaughan Williams' Fifth Symphony marked a turn away from the ferocity of the Fourth Symphony of 1935. While World War II was still raging, the serene, radiant music of the Fifth offered a calm repose to the violent times.
Like much of Vaughan Williams' music there are thematic links to other works, and in this instance some of the material he had been developing for his "Morality" opera The Pilgrim's Progress (a work that took over thirty years to finally see the light of day) was reworked for the new symphony.
Michael Kennedy's excellent sleeve notes to this 1970 HMV recording are reproduced below.
Cartridge: Sumiko Starling MC
Phono amp: Graham Slee Accession MC
Turntable: CTC Classic 301 with SME M2-12R
 |
Click to enlarge |
No comments:
Post a Comment