Weak Naxos-Vaughan Williams with Judd/NZSO

VAUGHAN WILLIAMS: Fantasia on a theme of Thomas Tallis. Norfolk Rhapsody No.1. In the Fen Country. Fantasia on 'Greensleeves'. Concerto Grosso. New Zealand Symphony Orchestra, James Judd (conductor). Naxos 8.555867. (60' 45'.

'Returning to his British roots, James Judd presents a programme of music by Vaughan Williams that has surprisingly escaped the present Naxos catalogue. There is an ethereal quality to the Fantasia, the distantly placed echo ensemble coming from afar, while the main orchestra offers a sonorous string tone of flawless intonation. A nicely pointed Norfolk Rhapsody, with well-chosen tempos, takes it right to the top of a long list of available versions. Being outstandingly greedy, I wish Judd had included the rarely recorded Second Rhapsody. A nicely understated Concerto Grosso is most welcome, but maybe the ideal Greensleeves would have a degree more innocence. That is being pernickety, for the playing and sound quality is by far the best I have heard from New Zealand. The strings are crisp and neat, and there is that rare sense of an orchestra thoroughly enjoying the music they are playing. Highly commended.'

No, not really. The above is 'David's' review from 'David's Review Corner' on the Naxos web site. I dunno who David is, but he sure knows how to please the Naxos people. Each and every Naxos recording is great. Outstanding. Distinguished. A rare find. Who on earth takes this crap seriously?

The Judd-RVW disc in fact presents uniformly mediocre performances of pieces of which there are fine, even great ones in abundance. For starters, there is a terrible blunder at one point in the Tallis Fantasia that is so obvious I can't figure out how this made it past the editing stage. Interpretively, there are queer emphases in the all the wrong places, bringing back memories of Richard Hickox' wrongheaded recent recording of the Pastoral Symphony. The string sound is quite OK, but hardly 'flawless' - which it should be, considering the rival versions we have from Andrew Davis (Teldec), André Previn (Telarc), and, of course, John Barirolli on EMI. Those recordings indeed offer 'flawless' playing, and nothing less will do for this masterpiece of string orchestra literature.

The remaining pieces are, if anything, even less memorable. The 1st Norfolk Rhapsody clocks in at 11'15, which is 1 1/2 minutes slower than Slatkin. Why? Simply because Judfd forgets to change the tempo in the supposedly lively middle section. He reduces this nice work to a bowl of porridge.

In the Fen Country fares a bit better, but is again very slow (15'29 compared with Boult's 13'54). There is little contrast in that work to begin with, an aspect Judd again emphasizes.

Weakest of all is the Concerto Grosso, a minor piece that needs crisp rhythmic precision (Marriner, on Decca) and weight (Thomson on Chandos). Judd offers a very performance with soggy string playing and no edge.

The Greensleeves Fantasia is adequate, but I know of no recording that isn't.

Every other version I've heard of each and every piece on this disc is better than what Judd has to offer. Even at the Naxos price, this disc is without merit and utterly useless.

With great respect, Concerto Grosso is not a 'minor piece'.

I am not even in it and I have no idea who Mr Judd is but Vaughan-Williams Concerto Grosso is NOT a minor piece. If you really believe that.......go hear it played by amateur musicians. If you are saying that Mr Judd makes it a 'minor piece' that is one thing but I know any number of string players who do not think it a 'minor piece'.

Just a musician (and not in the work).

Kind regards, Alan M. Watkins

Compared to his masterworks for strings (or including strings), it IS a minor piece.

Yeah, Alan, it IS pretty unimportant. Long on time, short on content.

Dave Hurwitz