Ralph Vaughan Williams Mantegna

All People That on Earth Do Dwell (Old Hundredth) Ralph Vaughan Williams, revised orchestration by David Stone; RVW; Into the Woods My Master Went (Mantegna); Francis Jackson, edited by Malcolm Riley Homage to Vaughan Williams (Variations on Mantegna); Percy Whitlock, orchestrated by Malcolm Riley Prelude on King’s Lynn; RVW O God of Earth and Altar (King’s Lynn) orchestrated by William H Harris; Henry G Ley Prelude on Down Ampney; Orlando Gibbons Jesu, Grant Me This, I Pray (Song 13) Hymn Tune Prelude on ‘Song 13’ RVW arranged for strings by Helen Glatz; William Harris Eternal Ruler (Song 1) William Harris Fantasia on an English Folk Tune (Monk’s Gate) RVW Fierce Raged the Tempest (White Gates); David Briggs Carillon on White Gates; Malcolm Riley Introit on Magda; RVW Lift Up Your Hearts (Magda); Romanza ‘The White Rock' arranged for strings by Malcolm Riley; Toccata ‘St. David’s Day’ arranged for strings by Malcolm Riley; For All the Saints (Sine Nomine) arranged by Henry G Ley, orchestrated by Malcolm Riley.

William Vann (conductor), Dulwich Choral Society London Mozart Players, James Orford, organ.
Quartet for Sine Nomine Helen Ashby (also soloist), Cara Curran, Tom Castle, Christopher Webb

Albion Records ALBCD067
https://albionrecords.org/

An album from Albion Records is always something to look forward to, and I often find myself pondering why this should be so. Perhaps it's because the label represents a different age while simultaneously offering a refreshing twist on familiar territory. This latest release explores the hymn tunes of Ralph Vaughan Williams—who else?—as realised by other composers in a delightful variety of forms.

True to form, this album lived up to my expectations with Albion's characteristic focus on RVW, who wrote 18 original hymn tunes and adapted 37 others, mainly from folk songs. Generation after generation has treasured some of these tunes, while others, associated with less popular hymns, remain relatively obscure. Yet hymns from both extremes have inspired other composers to write or arrange works based upon them, and this album explores those arrangements brilliantly. Several hymns are also sung as originally written, allowing the tunes to become properly familiar.

The tune Mantegna was written for a Passiontide hymn about Christ's agony in the Garden of Gethsemane. The poem, The Agony in the Garden, shares its name with Mantegna's 1455-6 painting (reproduced on the album's cover). Vaughan Williams knew the painting and named his tune after the artist. The organist Francis Jackson (1917-2022) was fascinated by Mantegna, writing a set of orchestral variations on it entitled Homage to Vaughan Williams. This piece is a delightful set of variations, with the London Mozart Players on top form – the woodwind section particularly excels. The phrasing and dynamics lead to an engaging and exciting performance. The full score was discovered among Jackson's papers in York Minster Library, and a new score and parts were prepared by Malcolm Riley, incorporating revisions made after early performances. At nearly 20 minutes, the score would make an excellent programming choice for orchestral concerts, and there's drama aplenty.

Percy Whitlock's Prelude on King's Lynn is another lovely piece, played superbly by the London Mozart Players with tantalising hints of Dives and Lazarus. The prelude precedes the Dulwich Choral Society singing through the hymn and as with the a cappella Jesu, Grant Me This, I Pray the intonation is excellent, James Orford's registrations for Henry Ley's Prelude on Down Ampney are beautiful on the organ of St Mildred's, Addiscombe. Whilst there are moments when the sound engineering falls slightly below par, those instances shouldn't spoil your enjoyment of a lovely disc.

It's a shame we don't hear Monk's Gate sung more often – it was a school staple when I was young. William Harris's Fantasia on an English Folk Tune based on Monk's Gate, is another piece excellently registered by James Orford, who also plays an Albion Records-commissioned work by organist David Briggs: an organ carillon based on another Vaughan Williams tune, White Gates. As John Francis and Malcolm Riley aptly note in the excellent liner notes: 'Here's RVW on a weekend in Paris, giving Marcel Dupré his White Gates tune as the subject for a carillon. It's in A-B-A-Coda form, with a French-inspired tribute to Let All the World (from Five Mystical Songs) near the end.' There are numerous Gallic sounds in this piece, evoking the atmosphere of a Sunday organ audition in Paris.

The strings of the London Mozart Players come into their own with two short pieces: Romanza (The White Rock) and Toccata (St David's Day). Beautifully played under the direction of William Vann, both are expressive and full of RVW character. The disc ends with that tremendous hymn For All the Saints, arranged by Henry G. Ley and orchestrated by Malcolm Riley.

Another fine tribute to RVW from Albion Records, and one for all devotees.

The recording was made at St Mildred's, Addiscombe, Croydon, in April 2025. The producer was Andrew Walton and the engineer was Tim Burton, both of K&A Productions.