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Vaughan Williams - Hodie; Fantasia on Christmas Carols | 
| Artists: Royal Philharmonic Orchestra, Stephen Gadd
Creators: Ralph Vaughan Williams, Hilary Davan Wetton, Peter Hoare, Guildford Choral Society, Bramley St Catherine's Chamber Choir
Label: Naxos
Category: Music
List Price: £5.99
Buy New: £4.88
You Save: £1.11 (19%)
New (20) Used (1) from £3.98
Rating:  1 reviews
Sales Rank: 1987
Media: Audio CD
Running Time: 71
Discs: 1
Shipping Weight (lbs): 0.2
Dimensions (in): 5.6 x 5 x 0.5
UPC: 747313043972
EAN: 7473130439720
ASIN: B000WPJ6EO
Release Date: October 29, 2007
Shipping: Eligible for Super Saver Shipping
Availability: Usually dispatched within 24 hours
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| Tracks:
| • | Hodie (This Day); | | • | Fantasia on Christmas Carols |
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| Customer Reviews:
Outstanding performance of Hodie November 29, 2007
18 out of 18 found this review helpful
This is a great CD. I had always thought that Hodie, despite great moments of inspiration (such as the marvellously inspiriting conclusion)was a rather inferior score to earlier choral scores like Sancta Civitas and Dona Nobis Pacem, but Hilary Davan Wetton's new Naxos (super-budget) version has forced me to revise my earlier view. I still believe that the beautiful Sancta Civitas is Vaughan Williams's choral masterpiece ( although Dona Nobis Pacem and the late, neglected Epithalamion are, respectively, works of great power and beauty) but Hodie comes across as a much greater score in this recording. The main reason for this, I think, is because the conductor takes many crucial sections at a considerably slower tempo than David Willcocks in his fine EMI recording (although the overall timings are very similar) or Richard Hickox in his disappointing later recording (also EMI). Wetton thus invests the score with greater power and dignity. The whole work hangs together much more effectively here than in either earlier recording (although I would not want to be without the Willcocks version, especially for the unsurpassed conclusion "Ring out, ye crystal spheres": one of the best moments in all Vaughan Williams).
Another advantage here is the recording (made at Cadogan Hall, London). It is much clearer than the Willcocks or Hickox versions, with the organ making a much more audible contribution. Janice Watson, Peter Hoare and Stephen Gadd are outstanding soloists and all credit to the Guildford Choral Society and RPO and their conductor. Paradoxically, the performance of Fantasia on Christmas Carols is, perhaps, not as effective as the Barry Rose version coupled with the Willcocks recording of Hodie and Naxos don't provide any texts (unlike EMI with the Willcocks recording), which is a drawback, although they are available online.
In conclusion, this is a great CD, especially as it is so inexpensive. In this performance, my attention was gripped throughout and any longeurs were much less apparent. Hodie contains some great music (the setting of Hardy's "The Oxen" for example) and is a remarkably inspiriting and life-affirming celebration of Christmas from the octogenarian composer.
Don't hesitate!
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