Description
Two late, great Vaughan Williams symphonies: with the 'Antartica' and No 9, Martyn Brabbins and his BBC forces complete a cycle enthusiastically acclaimed by Radio 3 Record Review as 'unmissable'.
Critical Acclaim
"Brabbins […] strives for a bold balance [Sinfonia antartica]: cohesion, yes, but with each musical 'scene' given the time and loving attention it needs. […] The result is music which […] creates vivid pictures but within the context of a compelling, ultimately moving macro-narrative." – BBC Music Magazine (Performance 5 STARS; Recording 5 STARS)
"They are undeniably beautifully played and that virtuosity is signalled by the overwhelming first climax in the Prelude of the Seventh. […] Brabbins drives this music hard; he clearly sees this as a musical quest for some slim shard of sunlight to penetrate the prevailing dark, brooding storm clouds." – MusicWeb International
"both of these recordings are highly successful, with the sound for Sinfonia antartica a singular achievement – even now, recalling the opening of 'Landscape' sends a tingle down my spine." – MusicWeb International
"Martyn Brabbins rounds off his Vaughan Williams symphony cycle for Hyperion with a most impressive account of the Ninth. His is a memorably lucid conception: textures are sifted with judicious skill […], and there's an enviable sureness of purpose from first bar to last." – Gramophone
Vaughan Williams Symphonies Nos 6 & 8 (CDA68396): "Even against formidable competition, Martyn Brabbins impresses handsomely.....it's all beautifully judged." - BBC Music Magazine
Symphony No 5 & Scenes from Pilgrim's Progress (CDA68325): "The latest instalment in Martyn Brabbin's RVW symphonic cycle for Hyperion brings as dedicated, articulate and lucid a reading of the great and glorious Fifth as one could hope for." - Gramophone