Ralph Vaughan Williams - Magnificat, for contralto, solo flute, female choir and orchestra (1/2)

Ralph Vaughan Williams (1872-1958)
Magnificat in A for contralto, solo flute, female choir and orchestra (1932)

Helen Watts, contraltalto
Ambrosian Singers
Christopher Hyde-Smith, flute
Orchestra Nova of London/Meredith Davies

"When Gustav Holst died in 1934, Vaughan Williams lost his greatest friend. He missed Holst for the rest of his life and, in my opinion, invoked his spirit in several works of the 1930s and 1940s. This is one, written in 1932. It looks back to the Holst of The Hymn of Jesus - spare, concerned with both the otherness and timelessness of the religious past. For contralto, solo flute (appearing as the Holy Ghost), women's choir, and orchestra. The work has made it to recording very rarely, the Hyperion recording seems to be the only one currently in print." -- Steve Schwartz

Category:

Music

Tags:

• ralph
• vaughan
• williams
• magnificat
• contralto
• flute
• choir
• chorus
• choral
• orchestra

[JerrythePope]

Vaughan Williams is my favorite composer and this piece is perhaps one of my favorites..its very powerful and emotionally invoking.

[celebfan09]

I found it! I found it! I have been looking for this for HOURS. I sang this in choir a few years ago, and although it's been awhile and I had forgotten the name of the song, I have never forgotten the part at 3:04 and at 3:53. This beautiful song has changed my life forever.

[PAURIXU]

MOLTO BELLO

[qyzuf]

how interesting and french-like!

[RobertCEvans]

Thank you so much; this is one of my favorite recordings of one of my favorite pieces by RVW!