Recording review: Vaughan Williams Symphonies Vol.1 / Royal Liverpool Philharmonic Orchestra / Onyx Classics

“This is the promising start of a complete Vaughan Williams symphonies cycle by the RLPO and Andrew Manze … Manze keeps a tight rein but lets the music blossom. The RLPO and its excellent soloists make a warm, lustrous sound.”
Guardian, April 2016

“Manze guides the music with affection and sensitivity, obtaining refined playing from the RLPO. … Manze finds the poetry in the music … the hushed closing pages are truly magical.
… This is a most auspicious launch for Andrew Manze’s Vaughan Williams cycle; I’m only sorry we shall have to wait until 2017 for the next instalment.”
MusicWeb-International.com, May 2016

“… the real magic happens in the slow movement’s big tune six minutes in, shaped here with rare sensitivity and warmth, exquisitely played by the RLPO strings too. Manze never puts a foot wrong.”
theartsdesk.com, May 2016