Vaughan Williams: A Sea Symphony; Maconchy: Nocturne for Orchestra. Masabane Cecilia Rangwanasha, soprano; Will Liverman, tenor; Antonio Pappano, conductor; London Symphony Orchestra and Chorus. LSO Live LSO0910.
Confession time: I don't get very excited about Vaughan Williams's Sea Symphony. It's too big and bloated for its material. Then there is the secular utopian Mumbo Jumbo by Walt Whitman, to which Vaughan Williams was excessively attracted. (To be fair, he once admitted that the American poet was "too fond of the smell of his own armpits.") But the Sea might be his most performed symphony, at least in the States. Reasons are not hard to find: it's manageable enough for amateur orchestras and choral societies, and it's a big non-sacred work in English. However, the reactions I witnessed (from both musicians and audience) after a local performance I oversaw echoed my own: nice enough, but probably not quite worth all of the effort. Next to absolute bangers like the Fourth, Fifth, and Sixth Symphonies, it just isn't especially compelling.
Which means that when I call this Antonio Pappano performance with the LSO their best RVW symphony yet, I'm probably damning them with faint praise. If you trust my opinion as a Sea Symphony agnostic, I can tell you that this option is superbly balanced, exuberant, and (most importantly) keeps things moving along. This last point is absolutely crucial for the gangly outer movements. Nothing feels like Purgatory so much as sitting through a draggy "Explorers," which comes at the end of an already lengthy work and is starved for interest. But a sheeny homogeneity graces this performance, as if Pappano knows the middle two movements are the best but puts on a good face for the others. Vocal soloists Masabane Cecilia Rangwanasha and Will Liverman are also highly effective. They're two more bright spots in a maritime journey flecked with its fair share of doldrums.
The pairing with Elizabeth Maconchy's Nocturne for Orchestra continues a trend for the LSO Live label: presenting a better-known major work with a smaller, lesser-known one. They last did this with Copland's Third Symphony and the shorter Sinfonia No. 5 by George Walker. And rather dubiously, since the Walker piece has all the charm of a Moray Eel. I didn't know Maconchy's Nocturne beforehand, but I knew some of her other works and therefore braced myself. I needn't have worried. Here is one of Maconchy's better scores: atmospheric, beguiling, and most of all BEAUTIFUL. I didn't expect to be saying this, but it suffers little in comparison with her teacher's Sea Symphony. A terrific inclusion!
So, if you're a fan of the Sea Symphony, you won't need prompting from me to buy this recording. In my reckoning it's definitely one of the better ones, and maybe more. If you're a fan of both Vaughan Williams and Maconchy, all the more reason to acquire.
Verdict: Highly Recommended
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