Quintet for violin, viola, cello, double bass & piano in C minor
Romance for viola & piano
Quintet for clarinet, horn, violin, cello & piano in D major
Studies in English Folk Song (6) for cello (or violin, viola, clarinet) & piano
The early chamber music of Ralph Vaughan Williams is little known today, partly because he destroyed much of it and what little he saved was stored away until his death in 1958. Little has been available for performance in the decades since, but the Piano Quintet in C minor and the Quintet in D major for clarinet, horn, violin, cello, and piano have been played increasingly, and they show enough substance and cohesiveness to become established repertoire. These pieces partake of the late Romantic style, and while Vaughan ...
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The early chamber music of Ralph Vaughan Williams is little known today, partly because he destroyed much of it and what little he saved was stored away until his death in 1958. Little has been available for performance in the decades since, but the Piano Quintet in C minor and the Quintet in D major for clarinet, horn, violin, cello, and piano have been played increasingly, and they show enough substance and cohesiveness to become established repertoire. These pieces partake of the late Romantic style, and while Vaughan Williams' distinctive voice is nowhere in evidence, his adept handling of the instruments and ingenious imitation of Brahms and Fauré reveal his considerable skills as a young composer. Somewhat more recognizable as a Vaughan Williams work is the Six Studies in English Folk Song, which is a mature piece overflowing with yearning modal melodies, and the Romance for viola and piano, which is poignant in its simplicity and melancholy lyricism. The London Soloists Ensemble presents this...
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