A Pageant of Rare Beauty and Power

I'm back to my old familiar turf with Ralph Vaughan Williams again, and a work which the composer counted as a personal favourite that yet has remained largely unknown

One of the paradoxes of RVW's life is the way in which an avowed atheist could compose the most beautiful and soul-enhancing music to overtly Christian texts.  It's a paradox that has puzzled many people, and that's an understatement.  His second wife, Ursula, said that he became a professed atheist but "later drifted into a cheerful agnosticism."  Another author I read once (Hugh Ottaway perhaps?) described him as a first-generation atheist, "which means a disappointed theist."

It's definitely a relevant issue when faced with The Pilgrim's Progress, the monumental opera or "morality" (as RVW called it) which he composed to a libretto adapted from Bunyan's famous allegory.  The earliest beginnings of the work date back to 1903, yet it did not reach its final form or achieve performance until 1951!

Sadly, it flopped.

The opera was performed at the Royal Opera House that year as part of the Festival of Britain, and the performance was given a small budget and inadequate rehearsal time.  It has never been re-staged there.  Vaughan Williams was profoundly hurt, but a successful production at Cambridge University three years later redeemed his life-long inspiration -- and, incidentally, launched the musical career of a physics student named John Noble who played the central role of the Pilgrim.  RVW insisted on calling the character "Pilgrim" instead of "Christian" because he wanted the piece to apply to anyone who aimed at the spiritual life, no matter which creed or belief they espoused.

As completed, the work is structured in a series of tableaux which call to mind the medieval pageant plays.  These are divided into 4 acts, and the flow of music within each act is continuous.

If there's a key reason why The Pilgrim's Progress is so rarely performed, it surely lies in the immense number of distinct roles -- over 40 of them!  Even with double-casting, you need about 25 opera-house-quality solo singers, plus a large chorus and orchestra.  The Pilgrim (baritone) is the only character who appears throughout; all others are heard in only 1 act.

Anyone coming to this wonderful work with previous knowledge of Vaughan Williams' symphonies will find themselves immediately at home with the frequent reminiscences of the Fifth Symphony.  But, in fact, the process actually worked the other way around.  Fearing that the morality would never be completed, the composer used material from it in 3 of the 4 movements of that central work in his symphonic output.  Even then, he adapted the material to its new and different purpose.

The emotional and textural variety of the scenes is almost endless, and far too detailed to describe here.  There are uplifting solos and ensembles, moments of darkness and agitation, sheer terror in the encounter with Apollyon, drama in the trial scene at Vanity Fair, and sparkling comedy with the appearance of Mr. By-Ends -- accompanied by a delightful tuba solo!  

One of the most exquisite passages comes in the scene with the Shepherds of the Delectable Mountains (originally composed as a stand-alone one-act opera in the 1920s), where a soprano Voice of a Bird sings a soaring setting of the 23rd Psalm while the shepherds explain her voice in lyrical counterpoint to the Pilgrim.

In the end the Pilgrim passes through the river of death and reaches the celestial city to the sound of offstage and onstage fanfares, and of offstage and onstage choruses -- a moment of intense visual impact even when simply listening to a recording.  The beginning and end are framed by the character of John Bunyan, reading (actually singing) the opening and closing pages of his book.

When Sir Adrian Boult set out to make the world premiere recording of this piece, he engaged John Noble to sing the central role, and on Boult's recording you can hear Noble's deep affinity for the character, which so endeared him to the composer.  The remainder of the cast are magnificent British singers of that day (1972) and the roster reads like a "Who's Who" of British vocal art.  EMI did a magnificent job of capturing the terraced effects and perspectives of this score, and the vivid Kingsway Hall sound is completely clear and natural in the latest CD reissue.  That reissue also includes an entertaining 20-minute collection of live tracks caught by a microphone near the podium during rehearsals.  These give some insights into the complexities of the music, and also examples of Sir Adrian Boult's famously understated (but still amusing) rehearsal style.

More recently, the other natural team of Richard Hickox and Chandos records gave The Pilgrim's Progress its digital debut, following after a series of concert performances, and again the cast list reveals the depth of British vocal music in more recent times.  This recording, in typically rich Chandos sound, dates from 1997 and features Canadian baritone Gerald Finley in the role of the Pilgrim.  The Chorus and Orchestra of the Royal Opera House completely redeem the catastrophe of the first production.  Hickox shows a preference for more leisurely tempi, and his performance runs 10 minutes longer.

I confess to a slight preference for Boult, because both conductor and leading singer knew the composer, a touch of authenticity that the newer Chandos recording simply can't match.  On the other hand, the rich Chandos digital sound gives this newer release an edge for sheer spectacle.  Either one will allow you to immerse yourself in one of the keystone achievements of Vaughan Williams' long and honourable career.  All I need now is a chance to see this rare and unique opera staged professionally.  Some day....

UPDATE:  October, 2017

It's three and a half years since I first published this article.  In the spring of 2017 I heard of a live staged production coming up in the fall in the small town of Orleans, on Cape Cod (Massachusetts).  I quickly obtained a ticket, made travel plans, and duly went, heard, saw, and marvelled.  You can read my review of this rare live production of The Pilgrim's Progress here:  Pilgrimage to the Celestial City.