This volume of Richard Hickox's ongoing series of recordings of the music of Ralph Vaughan Williams gathers some of the composer's works related to his opera 'The Pilgrim's Progress.' The opening work has an obvious connection, as a setting of a speech of one of John Bunyan's characters. The disc's centerpiece, the Fifth Symphony, was begun in 1938 using themes from the opera, which Vaughan Williams feared might not be performed. The remaining semi-religious works are in somewhat the same spiritual vein.
Although the entire program is well-performed, the Symphony stands out beyond mere length. Hickox and the London Symphony play their hearts out, bringing some of Vaughan William's best music to exquisite life. The stunningly beautiful Romanza and final Passacaglia alone make this disc well worth the price. Add three premiere recordings (including "The Pilgrim Pavement," composed for the Dedication of the Cathedral of St. John the Divine in New York City) and vivid recording, and the result--like the discs which preceded it--is no less than essential.