Roderick Williams reviews

Here is the greatest song cycle, indeed one of the supreme works of art, a great singer at the height of his powers, and an admirable accompanist – exactly what I’ve been waiting for.

George Dyson wrote his Choral Symphonyin 1910, for his Oxford doctorate, but it gathered dust in the university’s Bodleian Library for the best part of a century until Dyson biographer Paul Spicer discovered it. This is the Symphony’s premiere recording.

For this new recording of Dona Nobis Pacem, a new version has been created by Jonathan Rathbone, paring down Vaughan Williams’s full orchestra to chamber proportions, the better to balance it with the young voices of the King’s College Choir. The piece continues to pack a considerable punch in Rathbone’s edition. Timpani and snare drum still rattle ominously in ‘Beat! beat! drums!’, and a nervous trumpet chatters.

British composer John McCabe (1939-2015) had an appreciation for string quartets, having written seven works for this form. In this trio of quintets, he effectively added piano, baritone or horn to the usual foursome.

Vaughan Williams’s Piano Concerto still has a daunting reputation – its percussive chromatic runs completely overwhelmed its dedicatee Harriet Cohen. The late Joseph Cooper prepared this two-piano edition, for which the composer added extra bars and a serene closing cadenza, with a striking final fade well suited to Louis Lortie’s expansive yet nuanced approach. Either he or Hélène Mercier could probably polish off the original by themselves, but their partnership develops its intensity without strain, particularly attractive in rich SACD sound.