A London Symphony, Hyperion

I must confess I’ve never really “got” Vaughan Williams’s London Symphony: it’s always conveyed a pea-souped foggy London through a vaseline-smeared lens, where all the “action” takes place at a distance, to make for an ambience of mystery. It’s completely unlike the chirpy depiction in Elgar’s Cockaigne Overture, let alone Eric Coates’ cheerful bustle. Martin Yates’ recent version kindled some interest in me and this performance has begun to swing the pendulum.

 

Martyn Brabbins uses a fuller version, which restores some of the excisions made by the composer and handles the elusive opening with spaciousness and warmth before the huge explosion of the awakening organism that is a great city. Brabbins is generally slower than the ‘other’ Martin but magically...