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Posted by Rick Denney on December 11, 2002 at 00:19:37:

Last Saturday night found me in the messanine of Jones Hall in Houston, listening to the Houston Symphony. What a fine orchestra! The program's major work was the Vaughan Williams 4th Symphony. That makes twice that work was performed on the professional stage in the same year in Texas.

I have nearly every recording made of this work, ranging from the composer's definitive 1937 performance to Glorious John (Barbirolli, that is), and I've listened to them all repeatedly. But I've never heard it played with such clarity. There were inner complexities emerging from this live performance that even study of the score did not reveal to me. I'm still dumfounded by the ability of symphony musicians to navigate such a difficult work with such apparent ease.

I assume Mr. Kirk was at the helm in the tuba section playing this most difficult of parts. I heard not a hiccup, and also an extreme example of musical good taste. He resisted the temptation to turn this loud work into a blastfest, and thus helped keep it British. He played a silver 5/4 piston instrument of some sort--perhaps an HB-21 or something like it. It was an excellent choice, with still the ability to be light and not bury the bassoon during the duet in the scherzo, but still sizzle with intensity in the outer movements.

This is only the second time in my life I've heard this work live, and it is clearly the best performance I've heard, live or Memorex.

Rick "who can't even keep up with those third-movement runs in his mind" Denney


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