Vaughn Williams: SCOTT OF THE ANTARCTIC (New)

[Amer 757]

There is a lot of discussion going on the his new release (at FSM board) from Dutton-Vocalion label about a new and complete recording of Ralph Vaughn Williams: Scott of the Antarctic score performed by the Royal Scottish National Orchestra and conducted by Martin Yates. The cd is widely availble from UK and Amazon.com and also SAE. 

 

I'am also happy to learn that the cd is in SACD format. So quite excited about this new adventure score which as previously available was a suite on the Chandos compilation album.

 

https://www.duttonvocalion.co.uk/proddetail.php?prod=CDLX7340

 

Anyone got this yet?

 

 

[Richard 2978]

Nice, but it's a shame that its not either a DVD-A, or a Blu.

azahid, what do you think of SYMPHONIA ANTARCTICA?

[Incanus 4738]

Thanks for the heads-up azahid! This is going to my priority CD shopping list.

[Amer 757]

8 hours ago, Richard said:

Nice, but it's a shame that its not either a DVD-A, or a Blu.

azahid, what do you think of SYMPHONIA ANTARCTICA?

 

Its on order so i have to wait for it. I think it just came out. I haven't heard the 'Symphony' as yet so I'll be digging into this for the first time. Then there is the Rumon Gamba conducted suite recorded on the Chandos label album from UK featuring SCOTT and other suites from Vaughn Williams films.  I would always prefer a Blu ray but SACD should be fine as its both 5.1 multi-channel and Stereo channel disc set here.

 

Speaking of DVD-A, I recently also ordered THE ADVENTURES OF ROBIN HOOD (Korngold) W.Stromberg Re-recording! So I'am looking forward to that too.

[Richard 2978]

Unfortunately, SACD will only play in 5.1 on SACD players.

That's the drawback of SACD.

I'll watch out for the ROBIN HOOD DVD-A.

[Amer 757]

3 hours ago, Richard said:

Unfortunately, SACD will only play in 5.1 on SACD players.

That's the drawback of SACD.

I'll watch out for the ROBIN HOOD DVD-A.

Thankfully this one is a Hybrid cd so it will play on both CD and SACD players. Order it away. Mine just shipped!

[Glóin the Dark 709]

16 hours ago, Richard said:

...what do you think of SYMPHONIA ANTARCTICA?

 

Getting the climax of the third movement right is paramount in the Sinfonia antartica. I've heard a lot of performances in which it underwhelms, making the whole symphony something of a damp squib. When it's done well, the listener has to be defrosted.

[Maglorfin 124]

Ordered and received recently and I must say that this is definitely an amazing representation of an amazing score (one of my favourites) by an amazing composer (also one of my favourites). The playing and recording are both outstanding and a huge thanks should go to conductor Martin Yates for his indispensable role in making this project happen (he actually transcribed and edited all sheet music parts from RWV's original manuscripts). I've always been a huge fan of Sinfonia antartica and now, it's great fun listening for all the cues in the symphony and marking them in my copy of the full score!   

 

[Alexcremers 1526]

Must listen to it again. Always loved the atmosphere.

[Richard 2978]

It's cold.

[Maglorfin 124]

Well it's just like Captain Scott wrote in his diary on March 29th, 1912 ...

 

Every day we have been ready to start for our depôt 11 miles away, but outside the door of the tent it remains as scene of whirling drift. I do not think we can hope for any better things now. We shall stick it out to the end, but we are getting weaker, of course, and the end cannot be far. It seems a pity, but I do not think I can write more --

R. Scott

 

Last Entry

For God's sake look after our people

[Sir Hilary Bray 213]

Being a fan of the film and reader of Scott and his expedition, I'll have a look into getting this. Music perfectly encapsulated the Antarctic wilderness. 

 

"Had we lived, I should have had a tale to tell of the hardihood, endurance, and courage of my companions which would have stirred the heart of every Englishman. These rough notes and our dead bodies must tell the tale, but surely, surely, a great rich country like ours will see that those who are dependent on us are properly provided for."

[karelm 1350]

Some might also enjoy Sir Peter Maxwell Davies Symphony No. 8 http://www.classicfm.com/discover-music/occasions/best-winter-music/antarctic-symphony which is a bit of a sequel.

[Maglorfin 124]

True! I remember actually hearing it live on a concert in Slovenia probably some 10 years ago and liking it (well OK, not as much as RVW's Antartica) but I've never listened to it since the so I'll need to revisit it.

 

Strangely and unfortunately, this symphony is not available on CD (but if anybody can find it, do let me know!). For the longest time, it also wasn't available on YouTube but now it's finally there for everybody to enjoy. :-)

 

 

[Alexcremers 1526]

A sequel to the story of captain Scott?! You do know what happened, right?

[Maglorfin 124]

Actually, Maxwell Davies' 8th symphony was commissioned by the British Antarctic Survey and intended to commemorate the 50th anniversary of RWV's score for the film and the 7th symphony which he later fashioned out of that score.

[Omen II 718]

I got this CD yesterday and cannot recommend it highly enough.  I count this as one of the best film scores ever written and this new recording elevates my opinion of it even further.  Despite the fact that a lot of the cues are quite short, the album works really well as a cohesive listening experience from start to finish, including many cues reconstructed from Vaughan Williams' original manuscripts and recorded for the first time.

 

The music is unmistakable Vaughan Williams but several cues have always sounded quite Herrmannesque to my ears.  There is a wonderful clarity in the recording that improves on the sound of the excellent Chandos suite from a few years ago.  If any film music fans are unfamiliar with this score and have avoided it because they think the music of this 1948 film might sound old-fashioned, they couldn't be more wrong and I would urge them to take a listen to this magnificent score.  I would love to hear this as a live to projection concert with the film!

[Incanus 4738]

I heartly concur! A magnificent release of a classic score.

 

I was positively surprised that the music has such flow considering that it is built from often very short cues but there is a wonderful stylistic cohesion in the programme throughout only broken perhaps by the short source music sequences. The score feels such a timelessly symphonic work and has both ghostly and inexorably doom-laden majesty that is lightened by small livelier episodes like the cue Penguins. 

[Score 349]

On 7/23/2017 at 3:07 PM, Maglorfin said:

Ordered and received recently and I must say that this is definitely an amazing representation of an amazing score (one of my favourites) by an amazing composer (also one of my favourites). The playing and recording are both outstanding and a huge thanks should go to conductor Martin Yates for his indispensable role in making this project happen (he actually transcribed and edited all sheet music parts from RWV's original manuscripts). I've always been a huge fan of Sinfonia antartica and now, it's great fun listening for all the cues in the symphony and marking them in my copy of the full score!   

 

I'm bumping this thread to say that: first, I also highly recommend the recording of the complete score, and second, Oxford University Press has published the sheet music of the full movie score as edited by Martin Yates at the very reasonable price of £24.95. Those who are interested in sheet music for film scores can appreciate that it's kind of extraordinary to have a publication of this kind for sale. And it's interesting to compare it to Sinfonia Antartica!

 

[Richard 2978]

I managed to buy this towards the end of last year. It's rather splendid, and, although I have the ability to listen to it in 5.1, it really doesn't need it, to be enjoyed.

It's a worthy addition to any soundtrack collection.

[crocodile 3704]

Oddly, I'm listening to this album at this very moment. It is a delicious disc and score.

 

Karol

[Maglorfin 124]

On 8/12/2018 at 9:20 PM, Score said:

Oxford University Press has published the sheet music of the full movie score as edited by Martin Yates at the very reasonable price of £24.95. Those who are interested in sheet music for film scores can appreciate that it's kind of extraordinary to have a publication of this kind for sale. And it's interesting to compare it to Sinfonia Antartica!

 

Wow, and I mean WOW!  I'm SO ordering this! Thanks so much for mentioning it, heaven only knows when and how I would otherwise have found out about it. 

 

If anybody else would be interested, the study score can be found (and ordered) here. Even some sample pages/cues can be previewed.

[Maglorfin 124]

 

Ordered today! 

[Score 349]

On 11/5/2018 at 6:09 PM, Maglorfin said:

 

Ordered today! 

 

Well done! You will enjoy it. It's a great companion to the CD (also conducted by Yates).

 

I hope at some point somebody will release similar complete editions for other old classics, such as Prokofiev' Alexander Nevsky, Korngold's Adventures of Robin Hood... I mean, this release is the proof that it should not be so difficult!!

 

 

 

 

[karelm 1350]

9 hours ago, Score said:

 

Well done! You will enjoy it. It's a great companion to the CD (also conducted by Yates).

 

I hope at some point somebody will release similar complete editions for other old classics, such as Prokofiev' Alexander Nevsky, Korngold's Adventures of Robin Hood... I mean, this release is the proof that it should not be so difficult!!

 

 

 

 

Here is Prokofiev's complete Nevsky.

http://www.musicsalesclassical.com/composer/work/35001

 

I understand Korngold is much more complicated because film music back then wasn't preserved.  It was often tossed so would have to be reconstructed by extant copies.  Miklos Rosza's Ben Hur for example was reconstructed.  Only the suite which was published is preserved, the rest was remade.

[Score 349]

7 hours ago, karelm said:

Here is Prokofiev's complete Nevsky.

http://www.musicsalesclassical.com/composer/work/35001

 

I understand Korngold is much more complicated because film music back then wasn't preserved.  It was often tossed so would have to be reconstructed by extant copies.  Miklos Rosza's Ben Hur for example was reconstructed.  Only the suite which was published is preserved, the rest was remade.

 

 

I knew about Prokofiev's Nevsky, I have the CD and if you go here you can even look at the score online (Ansichtspartitur, in the right column): 

 

https://www.sikorski.de/475/de/0/a/0/orchesterwerke/1033686_alexander_newski_filmmusik.html

 

However, I would like to see a full sheet music release that can be bought as a normal book, just like what happened to Scott of the Antarctic. The same for the other scores that I've mentioned (and well, basically for any good film score, old or recent). Another composer whose scores could be released like that is Bernard Herrmann: almost everything has been preserved. And due to the various rerecordings, I bet a reasonable amount of this material has already been digitized.

 

In the case of Korngold's Adventures of Robin Hood, the full manuscript score exists, but some pieces are either missing or incomplete, because it was preserved badly. The missing material was reconstructed for the complete recording, based on several different sources (including the sketches). As far as I am concerned, it would make a very good sheet music release.