For
the 1942 World War II propaganda film, The Flemish Farm, Vaughan
Williams wrote some inspired patriotic music. It soars heroically
in ‘The Flag Flutters in the Wind’ which is the opening track
of this suite. ‘Night by the Sea’ recalls the composer’s ‘Sea’
Symphony and throughout this rich and varied score there are references
to other major works including: pastoral music with mystical and
romantic overtones reminiscent of RVW’s ‘Pastoral’ and Fifth Symphonies;
plus crushingly dramatic, sinister and suspenseful material some
of which pre-echoes the Sixth Symphony.
Vaughan
Williams was completing the Sixth Symphony in 1946 as he was scoring
The Loves of Joanna Godden and, in places, one can discern
traces of the Symphony. The film was based on Sheila Kaye-Smith’s
novel set in the coastal Romney Marches of south east England at the end of the 19th
century. Vaughan Williams responded, very much as he had for his
earlier fenland evocations, with music redolent of the landscape,
its wildlife, especially the cry of the birds. The screaming winds
and lashing rain reflect the emotional turmoil of the protagonists
and the tragedies they faced eking an existence in this sometimes
forbidding locale; one character loses his sheep to foot-and-mouth
disease and another drowns. Stephen Hogger’s reconstruction, a
15-minute suite of music from the film is, in essence, a seamless
symphonic poem. The score includes a keening women’s chorus.
The
Bitter Springs score was a collaboration between Vaughan
Williams and Ernest Irving. It was arranged and orchestrated
by Irving from 38 bars of thematic material supplied by Vaughan Williams who
thanked him “for the marvels you have done with my silly little
tune,” and adding, cheekily, “If you want any more you must
sing it yourself”. The ‘Main Titles and Opening Music’ introduces
a jaunty theme redolent of the characters’ trek across the Australian
outback, the music vividly evoking the swaying gait of the horses
and riders; there is, too, a suggestion of RVW’s mystical ‘Bunyan’
music. From this material, Irving builds a vibrant score, colourfully orchestrated with imaginative
writing for winds and much use of exotic percussion suggestive
of the film’s Australian setting. He also added material of
his own including the witty evocation of ‘Kangaroos’ and ‘Boomerang’
with its wind-machine effect.
A
splendid album and an important addition to the Vaughan Williams
discography; taken with Volumes I and II of the Chandos Vaughan
Williams film music series, this CD eclipses all competition in
terms of both performance and sound engineering.
Ian Lace
see also Review
by Christopher Thomas
Ladies
of 
