Vaughan Williams: Symphonies Vol 1 review – warm and lustrous

Look, no violin… conductor Andrew Manze. Photograph: Benjamin Ealovega

This is the promising start of a complete Vaughan Williams symphonies cycle by the RLPO and Andrew Manze, now an established RVW interpreter (having an impressive parallel career as a baroque violinist). Manze keeps a tight rein but lets the music blossom. The RLPO and its excellent soloists make a warm, lustrous sound. Onyx has chosen No 2 “A London Symphony” (1914) and No 8 (1955) to kick off the series, due for completion in 2019. It’s a great way to start, immediately revealing the long journey Vaughan Williams travelled, from the programmatic street sounds of the “London” to the majestic innovations and delicious vibraphone and celesta colours of the Eighth.