Ralph Vaughan Williams

A Tuba in Love­: Hilger's Magical Tones

If you ask an Englishman how he feels about Ralph Vaughan Williams, he will most likely begin to wax lyrical about the music. If you ask a German, however, he’d first go into a moment of quiet pondering. In response the Englishman might rummage in his CD collection in order to quickly close the glaring deficiency in the German’s cultural knowledge. The Englishman might also add that Germany would do well by giving a more prominent place on concert podiums and in the CD cabinet to such a noteworthy composer in the tradition of Edward Elgar.
Walter Hilgers, a brilliant conductor and exceptional tuba soloist, has graced our Genuin label by capturing the essence of the ever dynamic Vaughan Williams­a composer true to his inner melodic voice who produced magical sounds.
Whoever has listened to the traditional English Romance of the tuba concerto or experienced the foggy summer morning in Kent evoked in the slow final movement of his 5th symphony as performed by the Staatsorchester Frankfurt/Oder should be on their guard and set some time aside: it could be that Vaughan-Williams (and Walter Hilgers) will really get them hooked...

"Walter Hilgers conducts and plays the solos with a spirited elegance - highly recommended." Clarino 10/2006