IDAGIO | Parry: Ode on the Nativity - Vaughan Williams: The Sons of Light - Holst: The Mystic Trumpeter 5020926027023

Featuring

Sir David Willcocks
Teresa Cahill
Sheila Armstrong
David Atherton
London Philharmonic Orchestra
The Bach Choir

Royal College of Music Chamber Choir
London Symphony Orchestra
Ralph Vaughan Williams
Gustav Holst
Charles Hubert Hastings Parry

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Compositional Technique

Ralph Vaughan Williams's late style, as heard in "The Sons of Light," features a synthesis of modal, diatonic, and chromatic harmony, new rhythmic suppleness, and an orchestration that is both opulent and crystalline.

Notable Performances

The premiere of Ralph Vaughan Williams's "The Sons of Light" took place on May 6, 1951, at the Albert Hall, performed by a choir of 1150 young people.

Composition History

Ralph Vaughan Williams's "The Sons of Light" was commissioned in 1950 by Bernard Shore, a viola player and Her Majesty's Inspector of Schools, for young singers.

Composer's Artistic Vision

Ursula Vaughan Williams's poems for "The Sons of Light" inspired Ralph Vaughan Williams to create the first work of his final compositional phase, which included his last three symphonies.

Recording & Production

This album's recordings of "The Sons of Light" and "Ode on the Nativity" were made in March 1980 at Kingsway Hall, London, with Kenneth E. Wilkinson as the recording engineer.

Historical Context

Hubert Parry's "Ode on the Nativity" premiered at the 1912 Hereford Three Choirs Festival on the same day as Ralph Vaughan Williams's "Fantasia on Christmas Carols," highlighting their close relationship.

Critical Reception

One critic noted that Ralph Vaughan Williams "made no concessions at all" for the youthful choir in "The Sons of Light," demanding the same standards as for adult choirs.