Ralph Vaughan Williams and Shakespeare
Albion Singers
Kent Sinfonia
James Ross conductor
ALBION ALBCD062
The front cover of the CD shows a portrait of Richard III and with the title Royal Throne of Kings. This looks very much like those CDs of medieval music recorded by Gothic Voices. But there is a subtitle, Ralph Vaughan Williams and Shakespeare, and the disc is a delightful assembly of works Vaughan Williams wrote for productions of Shakespeare plays.
The orchestral music is played by the Kent Sinfonia conducted by James Ross, who also directs the Albion Singers (who appear briefly on one track). Five tracks are sung by soprano Eloise Irving accompanied by Malcolm Riley. Her contribution includes an early setting of The Willow Song (1893) and the familiar setting of Orpheus with his Lute from 1905, as well as another setting of that poem included in his Three Songs from Shakespeare of 1925.
Orchestrally we have the original version of the Henry V Overture, reconstructed from the orchestral parts by David Owen Norris and edited by Malcolm Riley, and all other items have been arranged for this recording, including an extended Concert Fantasy from a 1944 production of Richard II, a suite from a 1913 production of Henry 1V, and a rather delightful concoction by Nathaniel Lew which he has called the Stratford Suite. The music consists of various cues from five different plays, and includes arrangements of folk songs including Greensleeves.
My one reservation is the arrangement of the Dirge for Fidele for strings and harp. The duet for two mezzo sopranos and piano is best heard in its original form.
Richard III does not just dominate the cover. Music from the play also opens proceedings on this disc with a brief fanfare with the inevitable title My kingdom for a horse.
Review by Ronald Corp