Bruno Galeron wrote:

>So, could you recommend me complete, recent and great recordings for
>Vaughan Williams symphonies?

Boult is hard to beat.  I can't think of a modern series that is better,
forget great, on all symphonies.  Previn has a lot of good ones in his RCA,
but that came from the Boult era.  Handley is more recent.  I've liked what
I've heard, but I haven't heard them all.  I have several friends who love
these works who have heard them all, and they consider Handley right up
there.  Possible.  Andrew Davis is not bad, but there are some lemons in
there, too.  When Thomson is good, he's big and impressive, but sometimes
he's kind of blowsy.  Again, some good, some bad.  I don't like Slatkin at
all, but I know some people who think his is the great modern set.

If you have the Boult EMIs, as a complete set, why not pick and choose
among the others? Unless you can find paradise iwth Handley or Slatkin.
There are a lot of great performances out there.

I agree with you about the Naxos set, for what that's worth.

>Will Richard Hickox record the complete series on Chandos? ...

Won't matter to me.  I've heard and disliked his First and Fifth.  I like
his Pilgrim's Progress, though.

At the risk of a shameless plug, I covered VW in the English Symphonies
Overview in American Record Guide, July-Aug 2000.  I refer you to that
rather that write endless verbiage here.

Roger Hecht