Vaughan Williams: Symphony No. 7 (Sinfonia Antarctica); Symphony No. 2 ‘A London Symphony’). BBC Philharmonic- John Wilson, conductorh
I suppose the connection in the programming here would be that (apart from similar orchestral resources being needed, which makes it sensible and efficient to put the two works together), like Richard Strauss’ Alpine Symphony, these works are both not only depictions of a particular place but also have something more universal about them, as ‘life journeys’ – so that there is much more connection between these two works than one might initially think.
The ’Antarctica’ symphony was very well characterised and played by Wilson and the BBC Phil – the opening theme seemingly displaying/resonating with the tragic fate of all us humans, creative, brave and loving but ultimately (at least in Vaughan Williams’ view) returning to dust and desolation. There seemed to me to be a special rightness and force in the use of human voices here, singing into the desolation – and also the organ, as a voice of religious authority. As played by John Wilson and the BBC Philharmonic, the performance was well-structured, with a spectacular climax in the 4th movement, and a beautiful consoling episode before the final bleak ending, and the whirr of the wind machine
Before the symphony, John Wilson, being a film music buff, provided an extra element to the programme, the short but beautiful prelude Vaughan Williams wrote for the film music for ‘ 49th Parallel’ (1941, a war film with Laurence Olivier and Leslie Howard (1941)
Released into the wonderful acoustic of the Bridgewater Hall, I realised the BBC Philharmonic / Wilson performance of VW2 was an exceptional reading of the work. There was beautifully quiet horn playing and a lovely solo viola in the slow movement and distinguished trumpet playing throughout. There were, as in Sheffield, moments of unsteadiness and untidiness but what I appreciated more in Manchester was the sheer quality of Wilson’s reading of the piece – fastish, not over-indulgent, but with moments of searing beauty and anguish. What a great work……….
John's musical journey 