Ralph Vaughan Williams and Adrian Boult
Format:Hardback
Publisher:Boydell & Brewer Ltd
Published:4th Oct '22
Should be back in stock very soon
This book offers an in-depth examination of the collaboration and friendship between Ralph Vaughan Williams and Adrian Boult, highlighting their significant contributions to classical music and documenting their extensive correspondence and marked scores.
Ralph Vaughan Williams and Adrian Boult offers an in-depth exploration of the significant partnership between composer Ralph Vaughan Williams and conductor Adrian Boult. Spanning from 1918 until Vaughan Williams's passing in 1958, this study highlights how Boult emerged as one of the composer’s most vital interpreters. He was instrumental in premiering several of Vaughan Williams's major works, including the Pastoral, Fourth, and Sixth Symphonies. Boult's performances extended beyond the UK, collaborating with some of the world's leading orchestras and contributing to the first complete recording of Vaughan Williams's symphonies.
The book delves into the nuances of their working relationship, revealing how Boult's meticulously annotated scores reflect the insights gained from his discussions and correspondence with Vaughan Williams. These annotations shed light on the composer's intentions regarding orchestration, interpretation, dynamics, phrasing, and even revisions to his often inconsistent metronome markings. This detailed examination of the scores is complemented by an extensive collection of letters and Boult's personal diaries, providing a richer understanding of their collaboration and the evolution of Vaughan Williams's music.
Additionally, the book features three substantial supplements that enhance its value for readers. These include a detailed account of Boult's marked scores, a comprehensive list of his performances of Vaughan Williams's works, and a discography of surviving recordings from unpublished broadcasts. This scholarly work is essential for students and enthusiasts of Vaughan Williams, as well as those interested in the history of conducting and recorded music.
Another new book Vaughan Williams and Adrian Boult, by Nigel Simeone, analyses the crucial creative partnership Vaughan Williams had with Boult, who conducted the premieres of three of his symphonies, and recorded the first cycle of them. The collaboration continued posthumously: throughout the 1960s and 1970s Boult recorded and performed his friend's works, conducting his centenary concert in 1972. Simeone's achievement is to have analysed the scores Boult used when conducting, and the annotations he added following conversations with the composer. -- Simon Heffer * The Telegraph *
In Simeone's hands, Boult's commitment to his composer and Vaughan Williams' rugged, self-deprecating character tell an enormously valuable story -- Sir Mark Elder, conductor
It is the revelation of the interaction between these two towering figures in British music that makes this such an important book -- Sir Andrew Davis, conductor
[T]he much-respected musicologist Nigel Simeone has provided a definitive account of the relationship between the two men which throws much light on their working practices. One might have thought that such an examination had appeared before, but ... the level of attention and scholarship given here is unprecedented.... Simeone's is perhaps one of the most valuable books on the composer to appear in some time.... It goes without saying that any admirer of Vaughan Williams should have Simeone's study on their shelves; his reserves of insight and elegantly expressed enthusiasm are to be found in abundance here. -- Barry Forshaw * Classical CD Choice *
Simeone's exploration of the intensely nourishing relationship between these two giants of British music-and Boult's characteristically selfless dedication and steadfast commitment to this repertoire right to the end [...]-makes for consistently absorbing reading. As an unabashed RVW/Boult obsessive, I devoured this book and unhesitatingly recommend it to anyone of a similar mindset. -- Andrew Achenbach * Gramophone *
Well written and eminently readable, this book will take its place on the shelf of classic Vaughan Williams literature. * Fontes Artis Musicae *
What a pleasure to have this lovingly detailed portrait of two giants of twentieth-century English music! * NOTES *
ISBN: 9781783277292
Dimensions: unknown
Weight: 570g
330 pages