Nash Ensemble, Vaughan Williams - Early Chamber Music

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Music reviews of Early Chamber Music

Music Review: Nearly 2 hours of previously unknown Vaughan Williams
Rating: 5 Stars

As can be seen, they are are not all early but, with the exception of the preludes, are works that the composer withheld. Ursula Vaughan Williams, in consultation with the leading authority on the composer, Michael Kennedy, felt they should be released, both for their intrinsic quality and for the light they shed on RVW's musical development. There are nearly two hours of "new" music and the Three Preludes have not been recorded in the string quartet version before.

The first thing these discs reveal is how confidently RVW was writing at the age of 26. He handles the piano with a deftness which gives the lie to later jibes about his inability to write properly for this instrument. He was quite at home with the string quartet as well. All three of the large scale works are very early yet he is plainly the master of large paragraphs and forms, creating totally convincing structures running to 30 minutes or so. But they do not sound like mature Vaughan Williams. The piano quintet starts with a rhythmic call to attention, followed by a strong first subject on the strings accompanied by running piano figurations strongly reminiscent of Faur?. The string quartet begins with echoes of Dvorak, but the lasting influence is that of Brahms. The melodies are well defined and memorable. Occasionally the music becomes modal and these passages seem to take the music forward ten years. All in all, these are enjoyable works and when you get to know them, they become more than just juvenelia and are good enough to be loved for themselves.

The remaining pieces are small in scale, lasting from 5-10 minutes, with the exception of the Three Preludes (15 minutes). They are all enjoyable, with the later ones being in RVWs more mature style. They are not out of the composer's top drawer, however.

Some have portrayed Vaughan Williams as an barely competent amateur who hardly knew a diminished seventh from a Neopolitan sixth. This release shows he was a master of technique from an early stage. What took time was to break free from German models to create his unique style based on the music of his own country.
In a number of these pieces, you can hear the seeds trying to germinate.

The performances of the Nash Ensemble are excellent as is the Hyperion recording. The insert notes are by Michael Kennedy, who was a friend of the composer and is a leading expert on his music.

General CDs

• Styles > Classical
• Chamber Music > General
• Historical Periods > Classical (c.1770-1830) > Forms & Genres > Chamber Music