Vaughan Williams: Piano Concerto; Foulds: Dynamic Tryptich

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Sonically this was not one of Lyrita's best productions, with slightly dull piano sound and dense orchestral textures in works that are already quite thickly scored. The performances, though, are excellent. The single-piano version of Vaughan Williams' Piano Concerto on the whole is preferable to the two-piano alternative on account of its less-heavy keyboard sonority. Howard Shelley's performance is only surpassed by: Howard Shelley, with Bryden Thomson on Chandos, basically on account of the superior sonics. There was no competition in the Foulds, a marvelous piece by a fascinating minor master, until Warner very recently released a fine new version with Peter Donohue and the CBSO under Sakari Oramo. That disc may be well-nigh impossible to find and doubtless won't last long in the catalog, while the Chandos version of the RVW comes only in tandem with more Vaughan Williams (the Ninth Symphony). So if you're looking for this repertoire and a very satisfying coupling of two rare but extremely worthy works, this disc is easily recommendable, very minor reservations aside.

--David Hurwitz, ClassicsToday.com


Product Description:


  • Catalog Number: SRCD211


  • UPC: 5020926021120


  • Label: Lyrita


  • Composer: John Foulds, Ralph Vaughan Williams


  • Conductor: Vernon Handley


  • Orchestra/Ensemble: Royal Philharmonic Orchestra


  • Performer: Howard Shelley