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Label:
  Membran - http://www.membran.net/
Serial:
  222887
Title:
  Vaughan Williams: The Wasps etc. - RPO/Seaman
Description:
  Vaughan Williams: The Wasps, The Lark Ascending, Fantasia on a Theme by Thomas Tallis, Fantasia on Greensleeves, English Folk Song Suite

Jonathan Carney (violin)
The Royal Philharmonic Orchestra
Christopher Seaman (conductor)
Track listing:
 
Genre:
  Classical - Orchestral
Content:
  Stereo/Multichannel
Media:
  Hybrid
Recording type:
  PCM
Recording info:
 

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Reviews: 3

Review by raffells December 3, 2005 (4 of 4 found this review helpful)
Performance:   Sonics:  
Again I would agree with Alan and fill out a little.There is a little bit of competition in the sacd RVW orchestral works but not when this orchestra plays and is recorded like this.In a discussion recently it became clear that RVW was considered the greater of the English music writers especially orchestrally and the string tone was considered paramount to get the best results.I may add I am also of that opinion and even the non masterpiece works are only marginally short.The Lark Ascending is also outstandingly played.
I only wish they had included the extra pieces in the Wasps Suite and possibly used that work to finialize the disc on a rousing high.The disc finishes with the Folk Song Suite which has a sea Shanty flavour to it.Boring cover.Another bargain .. 61 minutes.

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Review by Jonalogic August 16, 2010 (3 of 5 found this review helpful)
Performance:   Sonics:  
Here is a quite lovely collection of music from Vaughan Williams, most sensitively conducted and extremely well played throughout. With a big-band and high profile conductor, we would all be justifiably raving. So far, so good.

How you react to the sonics depends on your sensitivity to the effect of Pulse Code Modulation recording and processing on string sound- and specifically massed strings playing above forte in their upper registers. Frankly, string sound puts a stake through the heart of PCM- it just doesn't do it right, rendering them as hard, dry, papery, non-liquid and gritchy*. Thus is the case here, I'm afraid, for the two inner string-laden masterpieces, the Tallis Fantasia and Greensleeves.

Here is a challenge. If anyone out there can find a classical CD of any persuasion, or an SACD recorded in PCM, with strings that actually sound like the real thing, I will publicly recant. After all, I'm a scientist, so one exception, any exception, suffices to blow any hypothesis out of the water.

By contrast, the fully orchestral Folk Song Suite and Wasps excerpts on this recording fare rather better, revealing a well-assembled recording, albeit clearly multi-miked, with good dynamics and decent transparency.

Putting my reaction to PCM on one side for the moment, this remains a most enjoyable SACD, and a bargain at this price. Just don't play it all at once. And be prepared for Membran's trademark insensitively short gaps between tracks and whole pieces. Why did they do this?

(* OK, gritchy = gritty and scratchy, obviously; but you guessed that, didn't you?)

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Review by Allan1us October 20, 2005 (1 of 2 found this review helpful)
Performance:   Sonics:  
Excellent full bodied surround sound on this one. This programme is redolent of Sir Malcolm Sargent or Sir Adrian Boult and the youngish British conductor Christophert Seaman does his illustrious predecessors proud in this excellent Vaughan Williams programme that includes 2 great masterpieces.

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Works: 5  

Ralph Vaughan Williams - English Folk Songs, Suite (1923)
Ralph Vaughan Williams - Fantasia on a Theme of Thomas Tallis (1910, rev. 1913/19)
Ralph Vaughan Williams - Fantasia on Greensleeves (1934)
Ralph Vaughan Williams - The Lark Ascending (1914)
Ralph Vaughan Williams - The Wasps - Aristophanic Suite (1909)