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The Allotment Garden (1899) by Sir George Clausen (1852-1944)
Reproduced by permission of The Fine Art Society, London
CDA66777


View sleeve notes/artwork (PDF)
Recording details: February 1995
St Jude-on-the-Hill, Hampstead Garden Suburb, London, United Kingdom
Produced by Martin Compton
Engineered by Antony Howell
Release date: October 1995
Total duration: 71 minutes 44 seconds

'The Holst Singers ... sing with a spellbinding sense of atmosphere and crystal-clear textures. Strongly recommended for all admirers of Vaughan Williams and fine choral work' (BBC Music Magazine)

'This new Vaughan Williams collection complements the Holst Singers' critically acclaimed 1993 CD of Holst partsongs (CDA66705) and is equally impressive … Masterly, but also supremely musical … The Shakespeare settings are outstanding' (BBC Music Magazine)

'Une réussite artistique exemplaire' (Répertoire, France)

'En todo momento, los cantores de Layton demuenstran un dominio total y lenguaje musical de Vaughan Williams … Un hermoso disco' (CD Compact, Spain)

'A most worthwhile enterprise, strongly recommended' (Fanfare, USA)

Vaughan Williams: Over hill, over dale
Partsongs, folksongs & Shakespeare settings
Holst Singers, Stephen Layton (conductor)
LISTEN TO ALL EXTRACTS
1
Loch Lomond  [3'50]  Ralph Vaughan Williams (1872-1958)
with Michael George (bass)
Three Shakespeare Songs  Ralph Vaughan Williams (1872-1958)
2
No 1: Full fathom five  [2'55]
3
No 2: The cloud-capp'd towers  [2'48]
4
No 3: Over hill, over dale  [0'52]
5
Alister McAlpine's lament  [3'30]  Ralph Vaughan Williams (1872-1958)
6
An acre of land  [1'33]  Ralph Vaughan Williams (1872-1958)
7
The seeds of love  [2'01]  Ralph Vaughan Williams (1872-1958)
with Michael George (bass)
8
Ca' the yowes  [6'56]  Anonymous - traditional, arr. Ralph Vaughan Williams (1872-1958)
with Ian Bostridge (tenor)
Five English folk songs  Ralph Vaughan Williams (1872-1958)
9
No 1: The dark-eyed sailor  [2'03]
10
No 2: The spring time of the year  [2'50]
with Ian Bostridge (tenor)
11
No 3: Just as the tide was flowing  [2'02]
12
No 4: The lover's ghost  [4'21]
13
No 5: Wassail song  [2'28]
14
The winter is gone  [1'43]  Ralph Vaughan Williams (1872-1958)
with Ian Bostridge (tenor)
15
Mannin veen  [3'13]  Ralph Vaughan Williams (1872-1958)
16
Bushes and briars  [2'35]  Ralph Vaughan Williams (1872-1958)
with Ian Bostridge (tenor)
17
Down among the dead men  [2'08]  Ralph Vaughan Williams (1872-1958)
Three Elizabethan Songs  Ralph Vaughan Williams (1872-1958)
18
No 1: Sweet day  [2'04]
19
No 2: O mistress mine  [1'19]
20
No 3: The willow song  [1'56]
21
Greensleeves  [5'33]  Ralph Vaughan Williams (1872-1958)
with Ian Bostridge (tenor)
22
Rest  [3'17]  Ralph Vaughan Williams (1872-1958)
23
Heart's music  [2'47]  Ralph Vaughan Williams (1872-1958)
24
Come away, death  [3'33]  Ralph Vaughan Williams (1872-1958)
25
The turtle dove 'Fare you well, my dear, I must be gone'  [3'27]  Anonymous - traditional, arr. Ralph Vaughan Williams (1872-1958)
with Michael George (bass)

Vaughan Williams’s small-scale choral works are a comparatively lesser-known aspect of his art. The majority of these compositions arose from his folksong-collecting activities at the turn of the century; this recording brings some of his finest folksong arrangements together with other a cappella works. They cover the whole of the composer’s long career. The Holst Singers are the foremost amateur choir in London. Under their musical director Stephen Layton they regularly perform on Radio 3 and Classic FM and in the major concert venues. The choir is joined for several songs by the renowned soloists Ian Bostridge and Michael George.