Special offer. Vaughan Williams: Sir John in Love
Sinfonia Chorus, Northern Sinfonia, Richard Hickox
There's no lack of glorious melody in Sir Johnin Love, and not just folksong cunningly interwoven.
Musically, what comes over strongly, more richly than ever before in this magnificent recording...
Special offer. Vaughan Williams: Sir John in Love
Sinfonia Chorus, Northern Sinfonia, Richard Hickox
Purchase product
There's no lack of glorious melody in Sir Johnin Love, and not just folksong cunningly interwoven.
Musically, what comes over strongly, more richly than ever before in this magnificent recording...
About
Contents and tracklist
- Richard Hickox, Northern Sinfonia, Adrian Thompson, Matthew Best, Susan Gritton, John Bowen, Sarah Connolly, Stephan Loges, Mark Padmore, Mark Richardson, Richard Lloyd-Morgan, Laura Claycomb, Stephen Varcoe, Brian Bannatyne-Scott, Northern Sinfonia Chorus, Daniel Norman, Anne-Marie Owens, Alan Fearon, Donald Maxwell, Henry Moss, Roderick Williams
Episode. Say dainty dames shall we go play… (Nym, Pistol, Bardolph, Chorus of Ladies and Gentlemen)
Track length2:22
- Richard Hickox, Northern Sinfonia, Donald Maxwell, Adrian Thompson, John Bowen, Matthew Best, Anne-Marie Owens, Daniel Norman, Stephan Loges, Roderick Williams
- Richard Hickox, Northern Sinfonia, Mark Padmore, Stephan Loges, Susan Gritton, Northern Sinfonia Chorus, Alan Fearon
Orchestral Introduction - Yet hear me speak (Fenton, Host, Anne Page, Chorus of Young Men and Women)
Track length5:41
- Richard Hickox, Northern Sinfonia, Sarah Connolly, Stephen Varcoe, Laura Claycomb, Henry Moss, Adrian Thompson, Anne-Marie Owens, Daniel Norman, Northern Sinfonia Chorus, Stephan Loges, Alan Fearon, Roderick Williams
- Richard Hickox, Northern Sinfonia, Matthew Best, Sarah Connolly, Donald Maxwell, Laura Claycomb, Roderick Williams, Anne-Marie Owens, Stephen Varcoe, Northern Sinfonia Chorus, Alan Fearon, Adrian Thompson
There is an old tale that goes Herne the hunter (Ford, Mrs Ford, Page, Mrs Page, Sir Hugh Evans)
Track length6:37
- Richard Hickox, Northern Sinfonia, Roderick Williams, Donald Maxwell, Anne-Marie Owens, Stephen Varcoe, Mark Padmore, Sarah Connolly, Matthew Best, Laura Claycomb, John Bowen, Susan Gritton, Richard Lloyd-Morgan, Brian Bannatyne-Scott, Northern Sinfonia Chorus, Stephan Loges, Alan Fearon
But stay! I smell a man of middle earth (Sir Hugh Evans, Sir John Falstaff, Bardolph, Nym, Pistol)
Track length2:10
Awards and reviews
2010
There's no lack of glorious melody in Sir Johnin Love, and not just folksong cunningly interwoven.
Musically, what comes over strongly, more richly than ever before in this magnificent recording from Richard Hickox, is the way that the writing anticipates later Vaughan Williams, not just the radiant composer of the Fifth Symphony and Serenade to Music, with keychanges of heartstopping beauty, but the composer's darker side, with sharply rhythmic writing.
The work's title, Sir John in Love, points to Vaughan Williams's different approach to the central character. With him Shakespeare's fat knight isn't just comic but a believable lover, more genial and expansive than in Boito's portrait, yet hardly a noble figure such as Elgar portrayed in his big symphonic study. Donald Maxwell makes a splendid Falstaff, relishing the comedy without making it a caricature. Above all, his full, dark voice is satisfyingly fat-sounding. On Vaughan Williams Opera 1205 the only previous recording, the vintage EMI set of 1974, Raimund Herincx gave a finely detailed performance, but lacked that important quality.
The 1974 set certainly stands the test of time remarkably well, but the extra fullness and richness of the Chandos sound coupled with as keen a concern for the atmospheric beauties of the score, notably in offstage effects, gives the new set an obvious advantage. Interpretatively, Hickox is just as incisive as Meredith Davies on EMI in bringing out the sharper side of the score, though he's more warmly expressive, a degree more affectionate in drawing out the glowing lyricism.
Chandos's casting is satisfyingly consistent, with no weak link. Matthew Best may be rather gruff at times as Ford, but that's very much in character, when, if anything, he's more venomous here than in Verdi, until at the start of Act 3 Vaughan Williams allows a wonderful duet of reconciliation with Mrs Ford, 'Pardon me, wife'.
As Ursula Vaughan Williams has reported, her husband wrote Sir John in Love 'entirely for his own enjoyment', because he was in love with the subject. And from first to last this new set reflects that.
