Search - Vaughan Williams, Indianapolis Sym, Leppard :: Vaughan Williams: Sinfonia Antartica & Fantasia on a Theme by Thomas Tallis; Symphony No7

Beautiful

Mark Hughey | Indianapolis, IN USA | 04/30/2002

(5 out of 5 stars)

"I'd asked for, and looked around for, recordings of Raymond Leppard and the Indianapolis Symphony Orchestra for some time before I received this from a friend for Christmas, and it's only led me to looking for more of Leppard's ISO work on Koss Classics. Two things left me jaw-dropped from the outset: the sound quality overall is extremely good for a mid-major orchestra. This is the sort of recording level I'd come to expect from the 'bigger' orchestras on Deutsche Grammaphon or EMI (the possible lone exception being that the narration at times is much softer than the music preceding and following it). The other thing is that the ISO plays very tightly and beautifully under Leppard's expert conducting, especially in this recording. The often forgotten "Fantasia on a Theme by Thomas Tallis" is some of the most stirring string work I've heard in some time."

Haunting

Erik North | 06/29/2000

(5 out of 5 stars)

"I must say that I had never really heard of Ralph Vaughn Williams, but, a teacher recominded that listen to a couple of his symphonies. I originaly got this because it was played by the Indianapolis Symphony, I'm from Indianapolis, but I must say, I was completely blown away. I had never heaed anything like this before and the use of quotes from the explorers jurnal gave it an extremely realistic and haunting feel. Especialy with the solo wordless soprano and the wind machine in the bakround. I have since heard 5 or 6 different recording of this symphony, and I have to say I have yet to find a better one. If you are looking for an excellent version of this symphony, or of any symphony, be sure to check this one out."

The Chill And The Beauty Of Vaughan-Williams

Erik North | San Gabriel, CA USA | 11/30/2004

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Ralph Vaughan-Williams was unquestionably one of the most significant composers that England had produced in the wake of Elgar in the early years of the 20th century. Somewhat surprisingly, however, unlike his fellow Brit Sir William Walton, Vaughan-Williams' music took a long time to catch on here on this side of the Atlantic. This recording, however, helped to speed acceptance of this composer along.



Combining the composer's Seventh Symphony, the "Sinfonia Antarctica" (which Vaughan-Williams extracted from his 1948 film score to SCOTT OF THE ANTARCTIC), with his celebrated "Fantasia On A Theme By Thomas Tallis" was a very good move. Both works received sterling performances by the Indianapolis Symphony Orchestra under the direction of Raymond Leppard, himself a highly underrated British conductor. The vivid, icy depictions of Antarctica in the symphony are rendered splendidly by both the orchestra and the wordless Indianapolis Symphony Women's Choir, with help from narrator Roger Allam and soprano Dominique Labelle. And in the Tallis Fantasia, a work for large string orchestra, Leppard brings the Indianapolis Symphony's playing to a level that equals Eugene Ormandy's mid-1970s recording of the same piece with the vaunted Philadelphia Orchestra. A highly recommended recording all the way around."