Composer-led recordings are always historically interesting even if they vary in musical quality. Ralph Vaughan Williams’ 1937 version of his wrathful Fourth Symphony has the distinction of being the fastest ever. That aside, it’s not terribly persuasive, even allowing for limitations of the recording that chop off both ends of the frequency range (the final bass drum smash simply isn’t there). The bottom line is that in the scherzo and finale, the excess of speed leads to hopelessly blurred articulation and (in the finale) a jog-trot effect that trivializes the piece. If you want fast and brilliant, try Mitropoulos on English Sony, or better yet Berglund’s incomparably savage rendition in EMI’s British Composer’s Series.
As for Barbirolli’s performance of the Fifth, this is again a very quick performance, not too badly played by the Hallé band (with moderately scruffy strings and sonics that actually help to muffle those honking oboes). But really, who needs it? Barbirolli’s stereo remake for EMI is a classic, a glorious performance, beautifully played and recorded, and you can find any number of excellent later versions, from Previn (RCA) to Thomson (Chandos). Dutton’s remastering doesn’t get in the way of the music; both symphonies remain quite listenable in their sonically limited way. There’s just nothing truly special about either of them.
