With its latest release, the Hallé returns with its next instalment of English music. This Vaughan Williams’ disc displays the full range of colour and highly accomplished playing of the award-wining ensemble under its Musical Director, Sir Mark Elder. 

The Hallé label is a double finalist in the 2011 Gramophone Awards with two discs of English repertoire; Elgar’s The Kingdom (CD HLD 7526) in the choral category, and English Spring (CD HLL 7528) in the orchestral category. This follows a double win for the label at the 2010 Gramophone Awards.

This latest disc features Hallé Principal Oboe Stéphane Rancourt as the soloist in Vaughan Williams’ Oboe Concerto. Symphony No.2 ‘London’ and the Oboe Concerto were both personal favourites of the composer and contain some of his finest writing.

Vaughan Williams claimed that the ‘London’ symphony should “stand or fall as ‘absolute’ music”. As Michael Kennedy comments in the authoritative note which accompanies the disc, direct references to “street cries, the Abbey chimes, the Cockney’s mouth-organ and accordion, are raised to the level of great art” in this work. 

The Concerto for Oboe and Strings in A minor contains virtuosic writing for the soloist, against exquisite string writing, in a work whose early material derived from sketches the composer had prepared for the Scherzo of his 5^th Symphony.

The recording of London Symphony was made live in The Bridgewater Hall in October 2010 and The Oboe Concerto was recorded in BBC Studio 7 in June 2010.

RALPH VAUGHAN WILLIAMS 

Symphony No.2 ‘London’
Concerto in A minor for Oboe and Strings

Conductor

Sir Mark Elder

Oboe
Stéphane Rancourt

Catalogue number CD HLL 7529

Preview: https://orcd.co/xbyz0oy