Vaughan Williams, Ralph - Symphonies Nos. 5 & 7 - Haitink, Bernard

Sheila Armstrong, soprano

London Philharmonic Orchestra

Bernard Haitink, conductor

Ralph Vaughan Williams (1872–1958) lived through two world wars and a turbulent period in British history. Although his Fifth Symphony was composed mainly during the Second World War, it contains some of his most peaceful music, whose pastoral serenity stands in vivid contrast to the backdrop of war-torn Europe. The Seventh Symphony, Sinfonia Antartica, originated as Vaughan Williams's musical score for the film Scott of the Antarctic, whose themes of human endeavor, stoicism, and courage deeply moved and inspired the composer. Scott and his men may have perished, but their spirits live on in Vaughan Williams' original and atmospheric music.