The Mudcat Café TM
Thread #168802   Message #4077443
Posted By: Charmion
30-Oct-20 - 09:39 AM
Thread Name: Review: Vaughan Williams Folk Songs - new CD
Subject: RE: Review: Vaughan Williams Folk Songs - new CD
With a short A and the L in it, Jos. As in Kramden.

I, too, am a fan of RVW. Being an Anglican, I cut my musical teeth on his hymn tunes ("Down Ampney" is probably my fave), and over the yearsI have sung many of his folk-song arrangements, trying mightily to sound like Lois Marshall or Janet Baker.

Those who diss the classically trained voice as "operatic" are showing their ignorance of both opera and the concert stage. In fact, the preferred sound for RVW's arrangements contains only enough vibrato to cut the room, which takes major control chops. In my admittedly arrogant opinion, the current leading exponent is the Welsh bass-baritone Bryn Terfel, who can be heard here in "The Vagabond" from "Songs of Travel". Now that's a voice with guts, and you can hear every word, clear as the proverbial clanging thing.