Job - a masque for dancing

"This new album ... contains two of the composer's key works, the cycle Songs of Travel in its orchestral version and Job: A Masque for Dancing ... Given its high quality, I believe Job to be one of the most underappreciated works in Vaughan Williams's output ... Amongst the highlights, the first-class playing of the Introduction and the Saraband of the Sons of God are immediately striking ... The soloist in Songs of Travel is Newport-born bass-baritone Neal Davies ... Davies's wholehearted singing sets the pulse racing; he creates a spirit of resolve and positivity essential to survive life out on the road ... Entirely convincing ... Mark Elder and the Hallé make a compelling case for Job: A Masque for Dancing. Songs of Travel, although well performed, are up against solid competition".

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"This [Job] is a very good performance, meshing lyricism in abundance with mighty orchestral (and organ) power when required. The playing is splendid and the crucial organ part is immensely impactive ... Overall, this is an excellent CD, and if you are not over-sensitive to Neal Davies' vibrato in The Songs of Travel, you may purchase it with confidence".

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"Editor's choice - June 2023: This fabulous postscript to Manze's cycle of the Vaughan Williams symphonies has all the virtues which made that series such a triumph: finely-judged pacing and balance, punchy brass when required, and wonderfully expressive string-playing throughout. It's great to hear the seldom-recorded early ballet Old King Cole (especially in such a colourful, committed performance as this), and the rumbustious account of The Running Set had me wondering why this exuberant, offbeat little piece doesn't get out more".

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"This is a highly persuasive account of Job. I'm so pleased that Andrew Manze has recorded it as an epilogue, if you will, to his fine cycle of the symphonies. He most certainly has the measure of the score and he obtains splendid playing from the RLPO. If the fillers are not top-drawer VW, then Job is most definitely out of the top drawer. It's a masterpiece and Andrew Manze does it full justice".

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"Job was written as a ballet but ... right from its premiere, it has had to make do with a life in the concert hall ... This is a bright shining, refreshing account that is consistent with all the virtues of Manze's cycle of the symphonies and deserves its place alongside Boult, Handley and Lloyd-Jones. The virtues of this Job are further enhanced by excellent, appropriate and imaginative couplings ... These two minor scores function like a divertissement after the main business of Job and together they make fine contributions to one of the most enjoyable VW discs I have heard in some time ... If you are in the market for a highly pastoral inflected Job, then this is a recording to hear".

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"Editor's choice: A performance of striking composure, lustre and palpable dedication. Not only do the Bergen Philharmonic respond with notable poise and eagerness (solo contributions are of the highest quality throughout), Davis conducts with unobtrusive authority as well as a sure hand on the structural tiller, uncovering a wealth of telling harmonic and textural detail along the way".

"It's always a treat to encounter a really fine performance of Vaughan Williams's Songs of Travel in their alternative orchestral garb, and I'm happy to report that Neal Davies proves a memorably ardent, articulate and scrupulously sensitive exponent ... Turning to the main course, Elder presides over a reading of Job conspicuous for its unruffled composure, strong interpretative profile and perceptive observation ... Yet another notable addition to the RVW discography from these accomplished artists"".

"Editor's choice: Scrupulously prepared and boasting some superbly coordinated infectiously dedicated playing from the RLPO, it's a thoroughly absorbing interpretation ... Right from the outset, there's an ear-pricking clarity about the harnomic writing ... Anyone who has been following Manze's stimulating RVW series for Onyx will require no further encouragement from me".