Ralph Vaughan Williams' chamber works have often been overshadowed by his orchestral and choral compositions, even though this genre contains remarkable masterpieces, as this CD demonstrates. "The Lake in the Mountains," one of his early piano pieces, originated from the score to "The 49th Parallel," a 1941 film by Michael Powell. Premiering on October 8, 1941, the film told the story of Nazis fleeing Canada and attempting to break American neutrality.
Vaughan Williams composed "The Lake in the Mountains" as a solo piano piece for a scene between two characters. The music initially reflects the landscape with pastoral sounds before becoming more dramatic with the arrival of the Nazis. The work was revised for Phyllis Sellick and first performed in 1946. Closely connected to English folk music, Vaughan Williams incorporated folk songs into many of his compositions, including the "Six Studies in English Folksong" for cello and piano.
Composed in 1912, the "Phantasy Quintet" demonstrates Vaughan Williams' appreciation for 16th- and 17th-century English music. The work was inspired by Walter Wilson Cobbett, a music lover who commissioned compositions in this form. The composition shows clear connections to the fantasy form as well as to English folk song.
The Violin Sonata of 1952, Vaughan Williams' last major instrumental work, was premiered by violinist Frederick Grinke. The first movement, in fantasy sonata form, presents combative moods and a constant search for solace. Both the Scherzo and the Finale intensify the emotional dimensions of the work, while variations illuminate the main theme through different interpretations.
The String Quartet No. 2, composed as an expression of the friendship between Vaughan Williams and violist Jean Stewart, gives special prominence to the viola and reflects their personal connection. The individual sentences convey a deep emotional diversity through their structure and atmosphere and conclude with a powerful epilogue.