Hallé – Vaughan Williams’ Final Symphony

John Wilson conductor | Sopranos and Altos of the Hallé Choir | Matthew Hamilton choral director

Vaughan Williams Symphony No.9 33′
Holst The Planets 51′

To launch the Hallé’s contribution to the joint Vaughan Williams symphony cycle, marking the 150th anniversary of his birth, John Wilson, renowned for his outstanding performances and award-winning recordings of British music, returns to the Hallé. The Ninth Symphony was RVW’s last symphonic utterance having its origins in Hardy’s Wessex and particularly Tess of the d’Urbervilles. Visionary in character, it ends enigmatically with the unearthly timbre of three pulsing saxophones, music that seems to be gazing into eternity itself. Combining works by Vaughan Williams and Holst is always apposite since they were lifelong friends. In his ever popular The Planets, it was their astrological characters which Holst so brilliantly portrayed, from the terrifying battlefield of Mars, to the solace of peace in Venus, the jollity of Jupiter and the mystic harmonies of Neptune.