{"product_id":"vaughan-williams-symphony-no-5-finzi-clarinet-concerto-2","title":"Vaughan Williams: Symphony No. 5 - Finzi: Clarinet Concerto","description":"The distinguished clarinetist Michael Collins has in recent years also gained recognition as a conductor, appearing with eminent orchestras across the world. The present disc sees his recording debut as a conductor of symphonic repertoire, from which he has chosen Vaughan Williams’s Fifth Symphony – one of the composer’s best-loved works. Written during the Second World War and with its symphonic predecessor displaying a convulsive fury and desolation, the Fifth is surprisingly serene and pastoral. Vaughan Williams dedicated it ‘without permission’ to Jean Sibelius – who in his diary described his impression on first hearing the work as ‘a caress from a summer world.’ On the present release, Vaughan Williams is followed by his younger colleague and friend Gerald Finzi, who he once advised to write a symphony: ‘They're ever so easy’. Finzi was not convinced, and remains known as a composer of primarily vocal music, but among his few instrumental works is a Concerto for Clarinet, the instrument widely regarded as the most voice-like of all. For this, Michael Collins reverts to his customary role as soloist, conducting the strings of the Philharmonia Orchestra from the clarinet.","brand":"BIS","offers":[{"title":"SACD","offer_id":49710398177560,"sku":"7318599923673","price":15.99,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0687\/4346\/3192\/files\/3826207-2576253_bdf8f6a2-b15e-4528-bd67-1e834a690b6c.jpg?v=1777775665","url":"https:\/\/hbdirect.com\/products\/vaughan-williams-symphony-no-5-finzi-clarinet-concerto-2","provider":"HBDirect","version":"1.0","type":"link"}