“Behold the sea!” In one of the most impressive openings for any 20th-century symphony, Vaughan Williams announced his entry into the world of symphonic music in 1910. The work has been lucky on disc, with some 24 recordings currently in the catalogue. RVW must have been doing something right to maintain public admiration for over 100 years.

With so many versions to choose from, the listener will be hard pressed to make a choice, especially as with many big choral works of the period, satisfactory clarity of the text is rarely achieved. Of the versions I auditioned, I like the Hallé recording under Sir Mark Elder best. The diction is superior to this new one and...