Vaughan Williams Early Chamber Works

10th December 2002

We are happy to announce the first publication of five early chamber works by RVW, all written after he left the RCM in 1895 and before his crucial studies with Ravel in 1908. Fascinating for the light they throw on the creative development of a prodigious talent, they are fine pieces in their own right – accomplished and inventive, beautifully written and rewarding for both performers and listeners.

So why are they unknown? The short answer is that, after his studies with Ravel enabled RVW to find what he felt to be his own voice, he decided to withdraw much of what he had written earlier. However, after the passage of time and in view of the wide interest in the composer's early works, his widow Ursula in consultation with her advisers has agreed to the release of selected compositions and their publication by Faber Music in the series Ralph Vaughan Williams: The Early Works. The first of these are:

String Quartet in C minor (1898) Score (0-571-52085-5) £8.95 Set of parts (0-571-52176-2) £16.96 Quintet in D major (1898) for clarinet, horn, violin, cello and piano Piano score and parts (0-571-51983-0) £24.95 Piano Quintet in C minor (1903) for violin, viola, cello, double bass and piano Piano score and parts (0-571-51953-9) £24.95 Nocturne and Scherzo (1906) with Scherzo (1904) for string quintet (2 violins, 2 violas and cello) Score (0-571-51993-8) £8.95 Set of parts (0-571-52175-4) £16.95 Available from Faber Music Ltd, 3 Queen Square, London WC1N 3 AU Tel: +44 (0)1279 82 89 82 Fax: +44 (0)1279 82 89 83 Email: sales@fabermusic.com Visit: www.fabermusic.com Premiere recordings are on the new 2-CD set 'Ralph Vaughan Williams: The Early Chamber Music' from Hyperion (CDA67381/2) in superb performances by the Nash Ensemble. Visit: www.hyperion-records.co.uk "As executants the Nash take no prisoners - holding nothing back. There is no suspicion of a museum case production. The performers meet the music full on and play as if the young composer of the first and second decades of the last century were in the room with them. This is one of Hyperion's most commanding productions. Extremely impressive and easily recommendable to the composer's many enthusiasts world-wide." Read the rest of Rob Barnett's MusicWeb Review To hear a clip SEE ALSO BBC Review click here