Ralph Vaughan Williams, like his teacher Maurice Ravel, was a master of writing vocal piano accompaniments, deploying a spectacular array of textures.
Performer Biography
William Vann, the pianist and musical director, is a multiple-prize winning accompanist and conductor, and is the founder and Artistic Director of the London English Song Festival.
Composition History
The Fifteen Folk Songs from Newfoundland were arranged by Ralph Vaughan Williams in 1934 after Maud Karpeles, a folk song collector, commissioned him and other composers to arrange 30 songs she collected.
Composer's Artistic Vision
Ralph Vaughan Williams's arrangements of these folk songs are characterized by his sensitivity to the text, conveying the mood and drama, and his great respect for the songs and performers.
Interpretation
William Vann, the pianist on this album, notes that Vaughan Williams's piano accompaniments are innovative, fresh, and beautiful, never dominating the singer but shaping the folk songs into something closer to Art Song.
Recording & Production
This fourth volume completes Albion Records' recording of Ralph Vaughan Williams's published arrangements of traditional folk songs in English for voice with instrumental accompaniment.
Recording & Production
The album features 81 songs in total, with 74 newly recorded and 7 taken from earlier Albion albums, including 53 world premiere recordings.
You might also enjoy...
The Queen's Six Murder the Songs of Tom Lehrer
Zumsteeg: Die Entführung & Des Pfarrers Tochter von Taubenhain
