Various - Ralph Vaughan Williams: Sinfonia Antartica, Four Last Songs, Concerto for Two Pianos and Orchestra

This is the eagerly awaited final volume in our historic series of Vaughan Williams�s Symphonies, started about twenty-five years ago by the late Richard Hickox, and recently continued by that other expert in British repertoire, Sir Andrew Davis. The album features an exceptional cast and a rare combination of repertoire. While the indefatigable piano duo Louis Lortie and H�l�ne Mercier tackle the virtuosic Double Piano Concerto, the baritone Roderick Williams OBE offers breathtaking interpretations of the rarely heard, yet passionate Four Last Songs, in Anthony Payne�s delicate and imaginative orchestration, premiered at the BBC Proms only four years ago. Vaughan Williams based the disc�s centrepiece, the majestic Sinfonia Antartica, on music he had written for the film Scott of the Antarctic only a few years before, stunningly evoking the implacable, frozen landscape of the Antarctic. All are supported by the impeccable Bergen orchestra and choirs and recorded in surround-sound. This album is a very special one, as is the now complete series.