Vaughan Williams and Angst

The RVW Listening Challenge and the Stack of the Week

Two RVW Surprises

I had not originally intended to include RVW's 8th Symphony in D Minor in this listening challenge, not because I disliked it, but rather because I had never given it the attention that it deserved. This may be because in the cycle it is stuck between the more dramatically arresting 7th (Sinfonia Antartica) and the spaced-out swan-song of the 9th.

However, I recently received an email from subscriber, environmental historian, and RVW enthusiast Ian Simmons recommending the 8th. He and his wife were actually present for the first London performance of the symphony, conducted by the legendary Sir John Barbirolli (whom RVW called "Glorious John"). I revisited it and found it a much more compelling piece than I remembered, with its intimate orchestra matched with a wide array of percussion, including side drum, triangle, cymbals, bass drum, vibraphone, xylophone, glockenspiel, tubular bells, three tuned gongs and celesta.

While the symphony has the reputation of being "light," I think that this must be due to its relatively small orchestra, because it strikes me as full of angst and melancholy—and thus suitable for our angsty reading this week, which includes the remainder of Book Four of The Lord of the Rings, the conclusion of The Two Towers.

I had planned to choose the Leonard Slatkin recording of the symphony, but Apple Music seems to clip the beginning of two of the movements for some reason, which I found annoying. But the alternative is what may be the reference recording: Sir Adrian Boult's early stereo performance with the London Philharmonic. It sounds amazing, especially considering the age of the record. Listen to this one with the big-boy headphones, y’all.

When I revisited Boult's recording, I listened also the pairing from the original album: The Partita for Double String Orchestra. This is a piece that I don't remember having heard before, but I was completely compelled by it. It is also full of melancholy and so is a well-chosen pairing for the 8th, and I include it also on the playlist this week.

Please let me know what you think of these lesser-known works of RVW. Here is the playlist on Apple Music and Spotify:

The RVW Challenge Playlist on Apple Music

The RVW Challenge Playlist on Spotify

---

The Stack of the Week

Once again this week, I am continuing my series of stacks that I featured in the early days of PCF, when I had few subscribers. Today it is The Matterhorn by

Dr. Kathleen Waller

. Kate has really created her own world in her Substack, which includes fiction, craft discussion, history, explorations of place, and critical theory—all of which fit together beautifully through her distinct and welcoming voice.

Kate has generously provided a series of excellent podcasts through her Substack on crafting fiction from unexpected angles, often involving her articulate and accessible discussions of critical theory—on the pathetic fallacy, nothingness, the Pharmakon, etc. These are always so full of insights that I must listen to them with pen in hand.

This is a perfect time to start subscribing to Kate's newsletter, because she has just embarked on a new serialized novel that promises to be engrossing. Here is the first installment:

An Interpreter in Vienna | Introduction

That's all for today, as I sign off from my midtown office, Soul Caffeine. Thanks for reading, from my fancy internet coffee shop to yours.