I’ve just discovered this channel. I grew up in London, and my father and his parents were all Londoners. Every weekend my father would take me to see EVERYTHING. We walked EVERYWHERE. Now I’m 77 and can still in my imagination walk again all through London. These paintings are beautiful and the music captures the spirit of the different times London went through. Many thanks.
Subjective I know, but I think Vaughan Williams is one of the greatest world composers and certainly the greatest English composer. I never tire of listening to him.
You are right on both counts Stephen. I've been collecting music all my life, and have always said the same. No other composer has ever succeeded at capturing the transcendent potential of serious music as RVW has done.
You really can't compare a modern-era neo-classicist to centuries-earlier composers like Tallis or Purcell. Without going into detail here, is there anything that came out of Renaissance times that could possibly match the thrill, splendor, and transcendence of what RVW did in the 20th century with his Fantasia on a Theme by Thomas Tallis?? I rest my case.
What a beautiful gesture. I have well-expressed the music I want played if I am ever in a state where I can't communicate. This is on my list - right alongside The Moody Blues!
I know Im asking randomly but does someone know a tool to get back into an Instagram account?? I somehow forgot the login password. I would appreciate any assistance you can give me.
@Zayne Yael i really appreciate your reply. I got to the site thru google and Im trying it out atm. Takes a while so I will reply here later when my account password hopefully is recovered.
Thank you very much for the presenting of this video! The pictures are very interesting, too. English composers are seldom played in the concert halls on the continent. My first contact with English music was during the war, when I was 12 years old, living in Germany under the Nazi regime, I listened to Radio London, though it was forbidden. The transmission for the German youth by Hugh Carlton Greene in German used to begin with the music of Elgar's "Nimrod". Thanks&Greetings from Switzerland.
Nimrod is one of my all-time favorites. Gives me chills, as does this. And yes, perfect artwork to accompany. Sounds like James Horner lifted the section at 3:27 for "Land Before Time." Horner also lifted an iconic phrase from Prokofiev's "Romeo and Juliet" for the main theme of "Land Before Time." Same spot, 3:26, for Andrew Lloyd Webber's "Phantom." Just sayin'.
@@user-td4do3op2d Yes, John Fuller Maitland wrote in The Times: "The work is wonderful because it seems to lift one into some unknown region of musical thought and feeling. Throughout its course one is never quite sure whether one is listening to something very old or very new. . . . The voices of the old church musicians . . . are around one, and yet there is more besides, for their music is enriched with all that modern art has done since. Debussy, too, is somewhere in the picture and it is hard to tell how much of the complete freedom from tonality comes from the new French school and how much from the old English one. But that is just what makes this Fantasia so delightful to listen to; it cannot be assigned to a time or a school, but it is full of visions which have haunted the seers of all times."
I can understand your thought.Imagen this man is not kighted.Happy birthday! The British Charm School was established by Elgar; they say. May I reccomend the entire symphonic cycle?
Cette musique est absolument somptueuse....richesse du discours mélodique, harmonies à couper le souffle, orchestration sans cesse renouvelée dans l’utilisation des timbres de l'orchestre, bref une babylonienne architecture sonore érigée par d’humbles et immenses interprètes !
I went thru a fairly long period of real passion for this symphony. And, when I left Texas for the first time in 1989 I lived outside of Philadelphia. During our courtship my future wife and I had tickets to the Philadelphia Orchestra and I was able to hear this played live 4, 5, 8 May 1990.
Merci, merci pour votre travail à rendre la musique extraordinaire de RVW encore plus belle par ces peintures! RVW est pour moi, Français, un compositeur extraordinaire trop peu connu du public et encore moins de mes compatriotes. Dommage! Thanks a lot Colin for your remarkable work at rendering the wonderful music of RVW even more beautiful thanks to all this nice paintings! RVW is for the Frenchman I am, an extraordinary composer who should deserve a greater public consideration all over the world. Unfortunately, he is almost unknown in France. What a pity! I was very happy and lucky to have once the opportunity to sing his SEA SYMPHONY in Hong Kong. Great memory!
Just a shoutout to all those in orchestra's who after playing this piece have been inspired to share their experience in comment sections where people such as myself come and listen. Wonder if in a few hundred years from now some classical music enthusiast ends up here marvelling at it's beauty. If I were to share anything of humanity with the great beyond it would have to be our music, and this piece would be on the list. Thanks RVW, from an 18 year old admirer listening 100 years into the past.
Dear Colin, thank you very much. I live in Louvain, B, and my mother lives in London. I tonight listened quietly to the symphony on my cd player, played by the Philarmonia Orchestra, led by Owain Arwel Hughes. I enjoyed that hour so much! So I came to youtube to find a link and share all the beauty with my facebook friends. This music is a great way of connecting to Britain. Recently I have done soo too by reading the graphic novels in the pleasant Belgian series "Blake and Mortimer", and by reading, more seriously touched, "Seven Pillars of Wisdom" by Thomas Edward Lawrence... These works help me to be proud of our European legacy. The disc of the London Symphony, I bought it two years ago on a trip to the capital, which I have by now visited some twenty times, starting with a school trip in 1981! Kind regards, thanks for the very nice painting views too, Steven
I think exactly the same thing there as you Ian!!! Well done Colin!!! Have a 'GREAT' Christmas and New Year Colin and Ian to You and All Your Friends and Families!!! Do either of you remember the programme 'This Realm' from 1978. The last movement of this 'Fantastic' Symphony was the background to extracts by Wordsworth!!! All The Best Lads!!! Cheers - Mike
I don't remember that, Mike. Seasons greetings to you, too, and thanks for your appreciation of my channel and, even more, your enjoyment of RVW's music.
What is there to say? This is simply beautiful, rich, and very "filling"...to the heart, and soul. It's happy-to-be-alive music. If you don't get it, you don't get it. If you do get it, you keep it.
Vaughan Williams would not write a symphony like this if he lived in London now. No cries of street sellers now. It would have to be full of hip hop beatz and moslem calls to prayer. Old London is dead and gone. He must be turning in his grave. RIP Old Smoke.
I bet you wish you learned about all the barbaric, cruel things you Brits have done all over the world such as in ireland when you were in school!! Funny how what all young brits know about history is WW2, when that is probably the ONLY time Britain was on the right side of history!
Colin; well crafted, even masterful video creation highlighting the genius of Vaughan Williams. Uplifting and panoramic. I love how you were able to seamlessly blend the art of numerous artists with this splendid symphony by Williams. Well done and many thanks for your upload and the work you put forth. Grace and blessings. Absolutely beautiful.
It is tough to tell which is more stunning: the paintings or the music of Ralph Vaughn Williams. May Britain awaken and rediscover that greatness which lies within.
Dans la musique anglaise je connaissais déjà Benjamin Britten..mais je découvre rvw .....69 ans !. Moins vaut tard que jamais ..j apprécié surtout la musique chorale . Belle découverte
This will, undoubtedly remain the greatest RVW symphony to be completed. Every essence of it allows my hairs to stand on end, I've really learned to love Vaughan Williams, and this is what started it.
I knew the music, but with this wonderful montage of impressionnist visions of London, I discover nice painters I totally ignored. 40 wonderful minutes...
An astronomer emeritus suggested I listen to Williams' "Pastoral Symphony", perhaps 10 years ago, he thought I would enjoy it, he was right. This is my first time time listening to "A London Symphony", very much enjoy it, also.
The symphony, overall, is wonderful. However, the second movement is so beautifully sublime. The emotion and complexities therein are so haunting and serene as if a poem set to music. Every note, wafts so gracefully and purposefully.
Thank you for this great multimedia you have created! It made me realize just how homesick of London I sometimes am. Also, your arrangement is proof of how an illustrative approach can have a truly wonderful effect. Thank you! :)
I remember first hearing this gorgeous symphony way back in the mid-1970's when I was an undergrad music student in college. At the time never having been to London yet in my life, still and especially with the simply exquisite opening of the First movement I thought that the entire symphony as a whole captures the very essence of that famous city perfectly. I have listened to this symphony quite often over the years. This and his sublime 5th symphony in D major are my absolute favorite works composed by Sir Vaughn Williams. And btw, I did visit London in the summer of 1995.
For me, quite a classic. Makes me feel like a Londonian, regardless of how deep the fog is.and even if I don´t own any umbrella... Thanks. Great performance..
Colin, I've never seen a collection of London paintings as extensive as the ones you've so skilfully employed here. I have a book of them, but you have at least twice as many! Add to that the way you have matched picture to sound and your video is pure joy. Many thanks for a stupendous effort and keep them coming!
So glad you liked it, Craven. The picture collection is all thanks to Google Images, I have to admit. I have done videos of a number of RVW works including A Sea Symphony and A Pastoral Symphony which you might like, too. Thanks for taking the time to comment.
I must say the images you've assembled of Edwardian London do so much to complement Vaugn William's grand score. This is the London of Virginia Woolf and Clive Bell. And the imagery gives a sense of the city's grandeur and majesty before the damage inflicted by two wars and the intrusions of modern architecture.
Always loved this work, together with the other eight, but for me this is greatest. This amazing recording tells us what a superb orchestra the LPO is. Not usually a fan of Norrington but he excels here. Thanks for the chance to hear it.
This is by far one of THE greatest symphonic works ever composed; the vast majority of symphonies by even more well-known composers are more like so much 'filler' compared to this transcendent masterpiece...
Stimmungsvolle Musik von R..Vaughan Williams.Ich bin froh,vor einigen Jahren diese Musik kennengelernt zu haben.Ich kann ihr gegenüber nicht gleichgültig sein;sie sprichst mich an.Genauso tut es Dimitri Schostakovich.Ich könnte sagen(bezogen auf diese zwei Komponisten),mit den Worten von Wilhelm Reich :" Mit Beethovens Siebter oder Mozart fühle ich mich identisch.Es ist,als ob ich mich selber hörte"
I am sorry but no matter how often i listen to this work, and that has been for many years, I see nothing but rural, mountains and river scenes with sunrises and sunsets
A combination of superb music and superb paintings. Yes, indeed, Vaughan Williams is one of the greatest of composers and this, I think, is his greatest symphony.
Once again Colin, a stellar job bringing the symphony to life with your extraordinary illustrations. I can imagine myself in 18th - 19th century London, in the years when the British Empire ruled the seas.
I really enjoyed this, A wonderful performance by Roger Norrington, equally matched by beautiful pictures of the city, every one perfectly matched to the mood of the music, thank you.
The late Bernard Herrmann loved this symphony, according to Herrmann's biographer. In 1959 Herrmann wrote a letter to Musical Times stating, "As a boy I first heard the 'London Symphony'. . . . Up to that time I had only been to London through the magic of Dickens' prose and the ADVENTURES OF SHERLOCK HOLMES. But through the evocative power of this music I was there again." (quoted in Steven C. Smith, A HEART AT FIRE'S CENTER: The Life and Music of Bernard Herrmann)
I have much admiration for the reaseach of the paintings depicted. The Second symphony is one of my favourites of RVW's works. You hve succeeded in skillfully blending both into a journey across London. Since discovery I cannot leave this treat alone oin my mobile - thank you. CAT MANSELL .
I lived in London from the late '60s to the late '70s but sadly don't get up there much now. I love the combination of the music and paintings. Well done Colin🙏
Wow - a real audio visual treat ! One of the great C20 Symphonies & an extraordinary selection of London Scenes. I discovered this symphony in my late teens and at 67 I still love it !
Oh, wow! I just wanted to say this ... The intense feelings I experience when listening to Vaughn Williams' music surpass anything. Is it hilarious?Is it Divine? No, that's not enough! It goes beyond words, far beyond! To me, knowing about the existence of this masterpiece and its sublime creator is a life-Event. I express the highest Appreciation towards the owner of this youtube channel, who is surely a top artist; thank you for letting us live such a wonderful experience!
Ralph Vaughan Williams is one of my absolute favourite composers and whilst it is thought his music was written purely along aesthetic lines rather than conveying any particular images; whether of daily life or anything else; from my perspective, his music somehow ‘attaches’ or enlivens ideas of people in life. The illustrations in this video seem to convey such an atmosphere and are very appropriate for me. It has an ‘Englishness’ I can’t fully describe e.g. its sadly tones intermixed with more vibrant periods appear reflective of a ‘bustle’ of everyday life, not only in London but elsewhere for that matter, of village, town life and so on. One of daily, hard toil and, people rejoicing, children playing in happier times, among many other thoughts and ideas that could be had and so on. This is the impression the London Symphony expresses to me; for someone else it may be very different?
Thank you Colin for this exceptional video and your profound work on it! Excellent presentment of British painters.I have never been to Britain but am very much interested in its art and culture.
A magnificent symphony and to take the time to upload this video with paintings of the city, suitably matching the music, is a job very well done. Thankyou!
Very glad you enjoyed it. I have done similar videos on 'A Sea Symphony' and 'A Pastoral Symphony, which I hope you'll look at some time. This is a link to the Pastoral... ruclips.net/video/-KF2Kb6pIaE/видео.html Thanks for commenting.
Un profundo agradecimiento por dedicar tanta inteligencia y tanto tiempo a elaborar esta estupenda presentación de la sinfonía de Vaughan Williams sobre estupendas imágenes de Londres.
Thank you, Colin. I recently worked in VW's Norfolk seaside home "Martincross" where he worked on ver. 2 of this symphony. From the window, you can imagine the composer in the 1920s toiling over the manuscript and looking up occasionally to gaze over a turbulent North Sea.
This is beautifully done, Colin! This is the first time I have listened to this symphony with images on the screen and you did an amazing job with this. Thank you.
it is through the genius of such men that we can plod through life. I understand he had his own plodding to do taking part in WW1. I have his discs but they are not available to me now so thanks Colin for passing over Williams' music.
your first affirmation makes me think of that one painted just under the ceiling in the hotel in a small village near the coast in Wicklow co Ireland that I read on my passage in early summer this year: "We are all in the gutter, but some of us are able to look up to the stars..." (by Oscar Wilde). You too, well said.
I’ve just discovered this channel. I grew up in London, and my father and his parents were all Londoners. Every weekend my father would take me to see EVERYTHING. We walked EVERYWHERE. Now I’m 77 and can still in my imagination walk again all through London. These paintings are beautiful and the music captures the spirit of the different times London went through. Many thanks.
Thanks for your interesting response Carol.
Subjective I know, but I think Vaughan Williams is one of the greatest world composers and certainly the greatest English composer. I never tire of listening to him.
You are right on both counts Stephen. I've been collecting music all my life, and have always said the same. No other composer has ever succeeded at capturing the transcendent potential of serious music as RVW has done.
Stephen James Well maybe, but one can't forget Holst and Elgar!
Quite true Sami Faheem. Hearing a great performance of the 'Enigma Variations' is an essential experience!
I think he has rivals in Tallis and Purcell, to name but two, they were all great..
You really can't compare a modern-era neo-classicist to centuries-earlier composers like Tallis or Purcell. Without going into detail here, is there anything that came out of Renaissance times that could possibly match the thrill, splendor, and transcendence of what RVW did in the 20th century with his Fantasia on a Theme by Thomas Tallis?? I rest my case.
played this to my mother when she was in a coma stage of late stage cancer. Hearing is said to go last before death. This music is wonderful.
What a beautiful gesture. I have well-expressed the music I want played if I am ever in a state where I can't communicate. This is on my list - right alongside The Moody Blues!
What a lovely thing to do for your mother.
I know Im asking randomly but does someone know a tool to get back into an Instagram account??
I somehow forgot the login password. I would appreciate any assistance you can give me.
@George Jaxxon instablaster :)
@Zayne Yael i really appreciate your reply. I got to the site thru google and Im trying it out atm.
Takes a while so I will reply here later when my account password hopefully is recovered.
My father was born in1898 and when I hear this amazing music while looking at beautiful scenes, I am there with him.
A truly wonderful symphony and ohhhh... That 2nd movement....I come back to it time and time again. RVW you truly were a master of your craft sir.
Thank you very much for the presenting of this video! The pictures are very interesting, too. English composers are seldom played in the concert halls on the continent. My first contact with English music was during the war, when I was 12 years old, living in Germany under the Nazi regime, I listened to Radio London, though it was forbidden. The transmission for the German youth by Hugh Carlton Greene in German used to begin with the music of Elgar's "Nimrod".
Thanks&Greetings from Switzerland.
Nimrod is one of my all-time favorites. Gives me chills, as does this. And yes, perfect artwork to accompany. Sounds like James Horner lifted the section at 3:27 for "Land Before Time." Horner also lifted an iconic phrase from Prokofiev's "Romeo and Juliet" for the main theme of "Land Before Time." Same spot, 3:26, for Andrew Lloyd Webber's "Phantom." Just sayin'.
Wow, amazing story, thanks for sharing!
You’re a special person. God bless you
Moments like this history feels so very real. God bless you friend
Vaughan Williams's style "one is never quite sure whether one is listening to something very old or very new."
Wasn't that written about the Tallis fantasia?
@@user-td4do3op2d Yes, John Fuller Maitland wrote in The Times: "The work is wonderful because it seems to lift one into some unknown region of musical thought and feeling. Throughout its course one is never quite sure whether one is listening to something very old or very new. . . . The voices of the old church musicians . . . are around one, and yet there is more besides, for their music is enriched with all that modern art has done since. Debussy, too, is somewhere in the picture and it is hard to tell how much of the complete freedom from tonality comes from the new French school and how much from the old English one. But that is just what makes this Fantasia so delightful to listen to; it cannot be assigned to a time or a school, but it is full of visions which have haunted the seers of all times."
@@user-td4do3op2d the opening of the Tallis Fantasia sounds like a few notes in the great escape movie score
Musical atavism.
I can understand your thought.Imagen this man is not kighted.Happy birthday! The British Charm School was established by Elgar; they say. May I reccomend the entire symphonic cycle?
Love that you included so many Grimshaw paintings!
Very underrated artist.
Worry good to bring up a conversation on thoughts of painting
Cette musique est absolument somptueuse....richesse du discours mélodique, harmonies à couper le souffle, orchestration sans cesse renouvelée dans l’utilisation des timbres de l'orchestre, bref une babylonienne architecture sonore érigée par d’humbles et immenses interprètes !
Fabulous music, and beautiful images. It makes me weep for what has now been lost, and for ever ...
I went thru a fairly long period of real passion for this symphony. And, when I left Texas for the first time in 1989 I lived outside of Philadelphia. During our courtship my future wife and I had tickets to the Philadelphia Orchestra and I was able to hear this played live 4, 5, 8 May 1990.
The opening music reminds me of being on a large boat, slowly leaving dock, and embarking on a remarkable journey
The marriage art and music is brilliant. Feels like a time machine. Thank you
Merci, merci pour votre travail à rendre la musique extraordinaire de RVW encore plus belle par ces peintures! RVW est pour moi, Français, un compositeur extraordinaire trop peu connu du public et encore moins de mes compatriotes. Dommage!
Thanks a lot Colin for your remarkable work at rendering the wonderful music of RVW even more beautiful thanks to all this nice paintings! RVW is for the Frenchman I am, an extraordinary composer who should deserve a greater public consideration all over the world. Unfortunately, he is almost unknown in France. What a pity! I was very happy and lucky to have once the opportunity to sing his SEA SYMPHONY in Hong Kong. Great memory!
Thanks for your kind comment!
I love those pictures of imperial-era London.
Just a shoutout to all those in orchestra's who after playing this piece have been inspired to share their experience in comment sections where people such as myself come and listen. Wonder if in a few hundred years from now some classical music enthusiast ends up here marvelling at it's beauty. If I were to share anything of humanity with the great beyond it would have to be our music, and this piece would be on the list. Thanks RVW, from an 18 year old admirer listening 100 years into the past.
.........and watching those 100 years, too!
RVW is certainly a master of English Classical music. I am glad to share this music with you.👍
Thank you so much for going to all the trouble of finding these wonderful paintings. It doubled the pleasure.
Dear Colin, thank you very much. I live in Louvain, B, and my mother lives in London. I tonight listened quietly to the symphony on my cd player, played by the Philarmonia Orchestra, led by Owain Arwel Hughes. I enjoyed that hour so much! So I came to youtube to find a link and share all the beauty with my facebook friends. This music is a great way of connecting to Britain. Recently I have done soo too by reading the graphic novels in the pleasant Belgian series "Blake and Mortimer", and by reading, more seriously touched, "Seven Pillars of Wisdom" by Thomas Edward Lawrence... These works help me to be proud of our European legacy. The disc of the London Symphony, I bought it two years ago on a trip to the capital, which I have by now visited some twenty times, starting with a school trip in 1981! Kind regards, thanks for the very nice painting views too, Steven
Doesn't it make you feel proud to be English? From a Frenchman.
Only just noticed the acknowledgements of the pictures. A work of art in its own right. Congratulations Colin.
Thanks, Ian. Glad you like it and thanks for taking the time to respond!
I think exactly the same thing there as you Ian!!! Well done Colin!!! Have a 'GREAT' Christmas and New Year Colin and Ian to You and All Your Friends and Families!!!
Do either of you remember the programme 'This Realm' from 1978. The last movement of this 'Fantastic' Symphony was the background to extracts by Wordsworth!!!
All The Best Lads!!!
Cheers - Mike
I don't remember that, Mike. Seasons greetings to you, too, and thanks for your appreciation of my channel and, even more, your enjoyment of RVW's music.
Colin
Thank You!!! Colin!!!
Your a 'True Gentleman'!!!
Cheers - Mike
What is there to say? This is simply beautiful, rich, and very "filling"...to the heart, and soul.
It's happy-to-be-alive music. If you don't get it, you don't get it. If you do get it, you keep it.
It's easy to become a Vaughn Williams fan. Nice job.
One thing for sure, Vaughan Williams' pieces are enlightening and uplifting, both serious and joyful.
The part of the second movement beginning at 20:10 or so is probably the most beautiful music ever written.
also 31:15.
Meh. Nimrod for me, every time.
I I imagine this is what it’s like to die and your soul is finally free from your body and you reach heaven
I'm a young lad and I love English music, I'm very proud to be British. I wish I learned about the great British composers while in school!
are you from shropshire?
No, I'm from Yorkshire.
Vaughan Williams would not write a symphony like this if he lived in London now. No cries of street sellers now. It would have to be full of hip hop beatz and moslem calls to prayer. Old London is dead and gone. He must be turning in his grave. RIP Old Smoke.
@@charlierumoleboi3578 - Well, you don't sound racist at all do you.
I bet you wish you learned about all the barbaric, cruel things you Brits have done all over the world such as in ireland when you were in school!! Funny how what all young brits know about history is WW2, when that is probably the ONLY time Britain was on the right side of history!
A deeply beautiful and well-thought-out pairing of image and music. Thank you for taking so much time, for sharing so much. Best wishes to you.
+J J Thank you! :)
J J hear hear!!
I came across this album while finishing school in New York circa 1981, to this day I have every note and mood memorized,,,
Colin; well crafted, even masterful video creation highlighting the genius of Vaughan Williams. Uplifting and panoramic. I love how you were able to seamlessly blend the art of numerous artists with this splendid symphony by Williams. Well done and many thanks for your upload and the work you put forth. Grace and blessings. Absolutely beautiful.
Many thanks for your kind words.
Beautifully put together, the genuis of Vaughan Williams with all those evocative paintings, superb. Thank you.
the artful combination of Vaughan Williams' music with impressionistic images brings out the best of both - thanks for this timeless posting.
It is tough to tell which is more stunning: the paintings or the music of Ralph Vaughn Williams. May Britain awaken and rediscover that greatness which lies within.
Many thanks for your comment - really glad you liked it.
A really nice recording that brings out sonorities I haven't heard before. The paintings are a fantastic accompaniment. Thanks.
My orchestra just played this, such a fantastic piece
I have never heard it live, what an amazing experience it must be....
Dans la musique anglaise je connaissais déjà Benjamin Britten..mais je découvre rvw .....69 ans !. Moins vaut tard que jamais ..j apprécié surtout la musique chorale . Belle découverte
What beautiful pictures. Complements the music perfectly.
Thankyou kindly Jane!
It's called Art 🎨🖌️....
This will, undoubtedly remain the greatest RVW symphony to be completed. Every essence of it allows my hairs to stand on end, I've really learned to love Vaughan Williams, and this is what started it.
It was Vaughan Williams' own favourite of his symphonies.
The second movement of the London is arguably one of the most beautiful pieces of music written. And a stellar job by the London Phil. Bravo!
the imagery is out of this world and seems to accompany the music very well thank you .
Nice work ! As Paris, my hometown, London was beautiful in the ancien time...
Merci!
Something this sublime really shouldn’t be interrupted by ads.
@georgejaxxon481
Or by stupid questions about how to get in to instagram as by some philistine
I knew the music, but with this wonderful montage of impressionnist visions of London, I discover nice painters I totally ignored. 40 wonderful minutes...
Thanks for your kind appreciation Robert
A thousand thanks for listing all the artists too of the wonderfully atmospheric paintings!
Thank you so much for the pictures that accompany the beautiful music.
It's called Art 🎨🖌️.....
The syncing of Williams music and art from period becomes like a time machine.
. Very creative. Well done!
I always listen to this when I'm away from London and homesick. Thank you for such a great quality video!
An astronomer emeritus suggested I listen to Williams' "Pastoral Symphony", perhaps 10 years ago, he thought I would enjoy it, he was right. This is my first time time listening to "A London Symphony", very much enjoy it, also.
Try number 5 in D next!
@@271250cl I listened tonight to it but thought it was not so light, maybe even a little dark.
2nd movement, Lento is one of my all-time favorite pieces, wonderful!
Truly excellent. Thoroughly enthralled by your inspired pictorial additions. Thank you, Colin.
Very kind of you to say so John.
The symphony, overall, is wonderful. However, the second movement is so beautifully sublime. The emotion and complexities therein are so haunting and serene as if a poem set to music. Every note, wafts so gracefully and purposefully.
I think about London while listening to this symphony
In London ,
all is far superior splendor amazing like this wonderful performance
Thank you for this great multimedia you have created! It made me realize just how homesick of London I sometimes am. Also, your arrangement is proof of how an illustrative approach can have a truly wonderful effect. Thank you! :)
I always feel the English grass at my sole, when I hear his work. He, Elgar, Britten, and Holst are the sound of that Sceptered Isle
England is not an island
@@mizofan Neither is grass at your sole...Its now a car park full of cheap housing. Very Sad. Paradise lost..
@@mizofan So said the EU. Who cares what they think?
The Sceptered Isle. Such a beautiful name, for the Queen of Western Civilization.
@@mizofan Think it is, both literally and metaphorically.
I remember first hearing this gorgeous symphony way back in the mid-1970's when I was an undergrad music student in college. At the time never having been to London yet in my life, still and especially with the simply exquisite opening of the First movement I thought that the entire symphony as a whole captures the very essence of that famous city perfectly.
I have listened to this symphony quite often over the years. This and his sublime 5th symphony in D major are my absolute favorite works composed by Sir Vaughn Williams. And btw, I did visit London in the summer of 1995.
The 7th is also excellent.
Exquisita Sinfonía, que se funde con las magnificas ilustraciones de Londres..¡¡ Gracias..¡¡¡
The music at about 20:50 is among the most beautiful ever written, and majestic.
It is. It ebbs and flows with emotion. Following that, the third movement (scherzo), is exhilarating with life and optimism. RVW was amazing.
For me, quite a classic. Makes me feel like a Londonian, regardless of how deep the fog is.and even if I don´t own any umbrella... Thanks. Great performance..
Very grateful for your work fitting all the old paintings to accompany the sublime music
Kind words, indeed, Jowox. Thanks!
Colin, I've never seen a collection of London paintings as extensive as the ones you've so skilfully employed here. I have a book of them, but you have at least twice as many! Add to that the way you have matched picture to sound and your video is pure joy. Many thanks for a stupendous effort and keep them coming!
So glad you liked it, Craven. The picture collection is all thanks to Google Images, I have to admit. I have done videos of a number of RVW works including A Sea Symphony and A Pastoral Symphony which you might like, too. Thanks for taking the time to comment.
I must say the images you've assembled of Edwardian London do so much to complement Vaugn William's grand score. This is the London of Virginia Woolf and Clive Bell. And the imagery gives a sense of the city's grandeur and majesty before the damage inflicted by two wars and the intrusions of modern architecture.
Glad you enjoyed it, Bette and thanks for taking the time to comment.
I've seen beautiful historical paintings and illustrations that of my home town that I otherwise probably wouldn't have seen. Thank you.
I never tire of hearing this peaceful and beautiful composition. Thank you so much for giving this recording to us.
Always loved this work, together with the other eight, but for me this is greatest. This amazing recording tells us what a superb orchestra the LPO is. Not usually a fan of Norrington but he excels here. Thanks for the chance to hear it.
Such a beautiful work. One of RVW greatest creations.Alongside Elgars 2 symphonies and Walton's 1st.....represent the best of British.
a wonderful symphony surely englands greatest composer
Thank-you Adrian for affirming what I've believed most all my life!!!!
Oh my Good Lord in Heaven 21:25!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Almost too much for my head to take in. BEAUTUFUL. God Bless RVW x
This is by far one of THE greatest symphonic works ever composed; the vast majority of symphonies by even more well-known composers are more like so much 'filler' compared to this transcendent masterpiece...
Stimmungsvolle Musik von R..Vaughan Williams.Ich bin froh,vor einigen Jahren diese Musik kennengelernt zu haben.Ich kann ihr gegenüber nicht gleichgültig sein;sie sprichst mich an.Genauso tut es Dimitri Schostakovich.Ich könnte sagen(bezogen auf diese zwei Komponisten),mit den Worten von Wilhelm Reich :"
Mit Beethovens Siebter oder Mozart fühle ich mich identisch.Es ist,als ob ich mich selber hörte"
I am sorry but no matter how often i listen to this work, and that has been for many years, I see nothing but rural, mountains and river scenes with sunrises and sunsets
A lot of work went into this, Colin. Thanks for sharing your sentiments in pictures as you saw them. :)
Gracias. 🙌
Very evocative pictures, I especially love the work of John Atkinson Grimshaw.
The combination of truly wonderful music and exquisite paintings is inspired. Thank you Colin.
A combination of superb music and superb paintings. Yes, indeed, Vaughan Williams is one of the greatest of composers and this, I think, is his greatest symphony.
Once again Colin, a stellar job bringing the symphony to life with your extraordinary illustrations. I can imagine myself in 18th - 19th century London, in the years when the British Empire ruled the seas.
Yes. I think the British Empire was probably at its height at the time this piece was written; just before everything changed in the world forever.
I really enjoyed this, A wonderful performance by Roger Norrington, equally matched by beautiful pictures of the city, every one perfectly matched to the mood of the music, thank you.
You really take your time making your videos. Really nice, thank you for sharing music and paintings, both really enjoyable
The late Bernard Herrmann loved this symphony, according to Herrmann's biographer. In 1959 Herrmann wrote a letter to Musical Times stating, "As a boy I first heard the 'London Symphony'. . . . Up to that time I had only been to London through the magic of Dickens' prose and the ADVENTURES OF SHERLOCK HOLMES. But through the evocative power of this music I was there again." (quoted in Steven C. Smith, A HEART AT FIRE'S CENTER: The Life and Music of Bernard Herrmann)
I have much admiration for the reaseach of the paintings depicted. The Second symphony is one of my favourites of RVW's works. You hve succeeded in skillfully blending both into a journey across London. Since discovery I cannot leave this treat alone oin my mobile - thank you. CAT MANSELL
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Thanks, Cat. It's good to know that people enjoy these videos. It was kind of you to go to the trouble of responding in this way.
I lived in London from the late '60s to the late '70s but sadly don't get up there much now.
I love the combination of the music and paintings. Well done Colin🙏
Usually I don't think much of Norrington's VW recordings but this took me by surprise. I love the accompanying images which are just right.
Clearly a labor of love. Thanks for the light in all the darkness!! For sharing this music and art.
RECORDANDO UNA BELLEZA DE VIDEO Y MUSICA
Wow - a real audio visual treat ! One of the great C20 Symphonies & an extraordinary selection of London Scenes. I discovered this symphony in my late teens and at 67 I still love it !
Who the heck would give this a thumbs down?
ME !!!!!!
wow! Not only such a beautiful piece of music but you illustrated it with stunning paintings - fantastic research.
Oh, wow! I just wanted to say this ... The intense feelings I experience when listening to Vaughn Williams' music surpass anything. Is it hilarious?Is it Divine? No, that's not enough! It goes beyond words, far beyond! To me, knowing about the existence of this masterpiece and its sublime creator is a life-Event.
I express the highest Appreciation towards the owner of this youtube channel, who is surely a top artist; thank you for letting us live such a wonderful experience!
Colin, thank you for creating this superlative experience!
Glad you enjoyed it Phyllis!
love the paintings--they fit the atmospheric music perfectly--London...-a few of them must be by our James Whistler.
Certainly one of my favourite composers, thank you so much!❤
Ralph Vaughan Williams is one of my absolute favourite composers and whilst it is thought his music was written purely along aesthetic lines rather than conveying any particular images; whether of daily life or anything else; from my perspective, his music somehow ‘attaches’ or enlivens ideas of people in life. The illustrations in this video seem to convey such an atmosphere and are very appropriate for me. It has an ‘Englishness’ I can’t fully describe e.g. its sadly tones intermixed with more vibrant periods appear reflective of a ‘bustle’ of everyday life, not only in London but elsewhere for that matter, of village, town life and so on. One of daily, hard toil and, people rejoicing, children playing in happier times, among many other thoughts and ideas that could be had and so on. This is the impression the London Symphony expresses to me; for someone else it may be very different?
Sempre fico satisfeito com as obras de RVW, ele foi sem dúvida grande gênio da música.
Thank you Colin for this exceptional video and your profound work on it! Excellent presentment of British painters.I have never been to Britain but am very much interested in its art and culture.
Thank you for your kind reply; it's good to know people like my videos! I hope you were able to enjoy it in spite of the adverstisements.
A magnificent symphony and to take the time to upload this video with paintings of the city, suitably matching the music, is a job very well done. Thankyou!
Glad you enjoyed it!
Absolutely beautiful; thank you for this wonderful mixture of heartwarming music and emotional pictures :)
Very glad you enjoyed it. I have done similar videos on 'A Sea Symphony' and 'A Pastoral Symphony, which I hope you'll look at some time. This is a link to the Pastoral... ruclips.net/video/-KF2Kb6pIaE/видео.html Thanks for commenting.
I stand thoroughly in agreement 🤝 with everyone else's enthusiastic refrains. Thank you over ☺️ & over again!!!
You are very welcome David. And, yes, I think the symphony depicts a day in london from dawn to nighttime.
Un profundo agradecimiento por dedicar tanta inteligencia y tanto tiempo a elaborar esta estupenda presentación de la sinfonía de Vaughan Williams sobre estupendas imágenes de Londres.
Thank you, Colin. I recently worked in VW's Norfolk seaside home "Martincross" where he worked on ver. 2 of this symphony. From the window, you can imagine the composer in the 1920s toiling over the manuscript and looking up occasionally to gaze over a turbulent North Sea.
Thank you for doing such "artful"work...beaufully rendered with magnificent music
I haven't been here before but am super impressed with your art presentation. I think it is one of the best here on RUclips. Thank you!
This is beautifully done, Colin! This is the first time I have listened to this symphony with images on the screen and you did an amazing job with this. Thank you.
Thanks, Marsha, very happy that you like it!
it is through the genius of such men that we can plod through life. I understand he had his own plodding to do taking part in WW1. I have his discs but they are not available to me now so thanks Colin for passing over Williams' music.
your first affirmation makes me think of that one painted just under the ceiling in the hotel in a small village near the coast in Wicklow co Ireland that I read on my passage in early summer this year: "We are all in the gutter, but some of us are able to look up to the stars..." (by Oscar Wilde). You too, well said.
So beautifully orchestrated. You can feel what you are seeing.