RALPH VAUGHAN WILLIAMS (1872-1958): Fat Knight (realised Martin Yates), Henry V Overture (orch. Yates), Serenade to Music (orchestral version).

Description: The composer had intended to adapt a suite of orchestral music from his opera Sir John in Love (1928) from a very early date and produced a variety of extracts and suites (and the cantata In Windsor Forest) but this much more comprehensive suite (54 minutes in this recording) was never completed in full score. Working from a two-piano score, Yates incorporated the orchestration from the opera full score but V-W also made use of vocal music (especially in the first movement) and this was here transcribed for orchestra. In seven movements, this is an abudance of vintage Vaughan Williams, with several folk songs employed and much other glorious original creation, sure to delight haters of the human voice! The Henry V overture of 1934, probably composed for a pageant, was originally written for brass band and makes use of two English and two French tune from that historical period. Hardly ever heard in its original form, this orchestration is designed to give a wider audience nine more minutes of richly melodic Vaughan Williams. Royal Scottish National Orchestra; Martin Yates.