Embracing Pure Melodies! | Ralph Vaughan Williams: Serenade to Music | Classical Music Reaction 

Vaughan Williams is so criminally underrated outside of the UK. He is without the shadow of a doubt the best composer England ever produced. I wish his music would be more often programmed in Germany. And apart from Händel's "Ode to St. Cecilias Day" I think no one wrote a more beautiful and fitting hommage to music itself than the Serenade.

Rachmaninov wept when he heard this at the premiere.

he is my second favorite composer after Arvo Part..Gidi,listen to his third symphony...brilliant.love your channel,kent in ohio...usa

You're right, Gidi--you need to get to know the words (from Shakespeare's The Merchant of Venice, Act V, Scene I). They are as beautiful as the music.

I do love this work

I’m so happy to have discovered your channel! Bless you, young man!

I'm so glad you discovered this sublimely beautiful work. The first time I heard this it was performed by the Westminster Choir, with soloists. The words come from Shakespeare.

His name is pronounced "Rafe Von Williams". This piece was originally written for 16 soloists, and the first performance was to honor the man who had been their vocal teacher. I was the bottom bass in this when we performed it in county choir in high school. "The man who hath no music in himself, nor is not moved by concord of sweet sound, is fit for treasons -- stratagems and spoils. The motions of his spirit are dull as night, and his affections dark as Erebus. Let no such man be trusted." Amazing how much of it sticks with me even today. This performance is choral rather than one on a part, which gives it a richer feel and a great tutti, but loses some of the punch.

Thanks for taking my requests.

Oh Gidi, you are now so ready for Ralph's "A Sea Symphony" and this recording does have subtitles: ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-2kR3FzJ1Hh4.html

The words are from Shakespeare's Merchant of Venice

Beautiful performance of a lovely, much under-rated work. If you don't know his Symphonies. Gidi, try Nos. 2, 4 and 5 for starters. 🙂

Yes for some dumb reason the English don't want their Ralphs to sound like Ralph from the Honeymooners

You should listen to Liszt symphonic poems