Audition: Vaughan Williams: Symphony No. 8, RLPO/Manze

 Vaughan Williams: Symphony No. 8,

Rec: Liverpool Philharmonic Hall, 09/10/2015 - Onyx

RLPO / Manze

Manze burst onto the Vaughan Williams scene in 2020 with a searing Prom featuring all 3 of the composers war symphonies. His clear realisation of the composer’s sound world symphonic writing helped him make a strong and immediate impression.

The Eighth Symphony presents a set of challenges, particularly for the conductor: the exotic orchestration and the ongoing difficulty of shaping Vaughan Williams’s distinctive brief forms, which blend contemplative pastoral writing with energetic, folk-inflected gestures.

In the Eighth, Manze handles the first two movements very well, and it is clear he understands the symphony’s overall trajectory. The trouble arises in the final two movements, where he seems to lose the freedom and natural flow he shows earlier. As the work progresses the interpretation seems to tighten  until it feels congested, only releasing its grip when it is too late. 

The Cavatina feels undernourished, and the Toccata is constricted to the point of sounding almost mechanical. The result, surprisingly, is a rather uncomfortable listen.

I also have reservations about the recording itself and whether the engineering team really captured the exotic percussion well.

So, with some disappointment,

Recording: 7/10

Interpretation: 5/10

Performance: 7/10