Various - Ralph Vaughan Williams: Serenade To Music [CD]

<p>Exploring the sixteen singers chosen for the first performance. <p>Vaughan Williams composed 'Serenade to Music' in honour of Dr Henry Wood's 50th anniversary as a conductor in 1938. It was written for sixteen named soloists, and recorded by them on 15 October 1938 - ten days after the first performance. This album - uniquely - comprises 18 newly remastered tracks from 78 rpm records, including the Serenade to Music itself, and one track featuring each of the sixteen named singers, as well as one singer (Keith Falkner) who would have been among their number had he not been abroad at the time. There is considerable variety among the eighteen tracks, with songs and operas represented. The album notes include biographies of the singers and full texts.</p> <p>"[Serenade to Music] has been wonderfully remastered and the performance remains pure, unrepeatable magic, capturing a moment in time, that never fails to bring a tingle to the back of the neck" – Planet Hugill</p> <p>"[a release] that has been done with great skill and care […]. Another fine Albion release to be cherished." – MusicWeb International</p> <p>"I found this disc absorbing and often most moving. Several of these pieces brought a tear to my eye (Elgar, Parry and Kennedy-Fraser). There is a magic in these tracks that defies time, stylistic parameters and logic." – MusicWeb International</p>