RECORDING OF THE MONTH     CHOPIN Waltzes and Impromptus Vladimir Feltsman £11 post free World-wide VIVALDI The four seasons London Mozart Players/Juritz £12 post free World-wide BEETHOVEN Symphonies 4 and 5 LSO/Yondani Butt £12 post free World-wide

BUY NOW    AmazonUK   AmazonUS

David del TREDICI (b.1937) Paul Revere’s Ride (2005) [33'10] Christopher THEOFANIDIS (b.1967) The Here and Now (2005) [10'05] Leonard BERNSTEIN (1918-1990) Lamentation from Symphony No.1 Jeremiah (1943) [29'55] Hila Plitmann (soprano), Nancy Maultsby (mezzo); Richard Clement (tenor), Brett Polegato (baritone) Atlanta Symphony Chorus and Orchestra/Robert Spano rec. Symphony Hall, Woodruff Arts Center, Atlanta, 14-15 May 2005. DDD TELARC CD 80638 [73’18]

The two attractive, large-scale choral works featured on this new Telarc CD were premiered in Atlanta in May 2005, and are here receiving their follow-up premiere recording. Christopher Theofanidis’s The Here and Now consists of 13 brief movements setting words by the Persian mystical poet Rumi. His musings encompass many shifting moods including ecstasy, humour, desire, spirituality and, above all, love. It’s a tuneful, eclectic work that is very much in the mould of old-fashioned American Romanticism - Barber and Hanson come to mind. It also has a liberal sprinkling of Britten (the opening crunchy harmonies), Holst (the menacing opening to ‘Hear blessings dropping their blossoms around you’, track 6) and, in the chant-like choruses and colourful brass and percussion interjections, Orff’s Carmina Burana. Many of the sections are pretty much instantly hummable. This is a work that may well enter the repertoire as a substantial but easy-to-appreciate choral item. David del Tredici is another neo-Romantic who unashamedly writes in a diatonic, attractive style. His setting of a Longfellow poem is a personal take on 9/11, with the heroism of Paul Revere in 1775 and its pivotal moment in the American Revolution, becoming a metaphor for the same selfless bravery of the firemen at the World Trade Center tragedy. The composer himself refers to it as beginning in ‘over-the-top fashion’. I found the many Varése-like siren calls a little corny and melodramatic. Nevertheless, the mix of quasi-minimalism and traditional choral writing is never less than enjoyable. There’s even humour amid the shameless patriotism, with the Finale’s fugue pitting ‘Rule Britannia’ against ‘Yankee Doodle’ – I’ll leave you to guess which wins. The best things about both works are Spano’s conducting, urgent, energetic and dramatic, and the choir, whose tonal blend and sheer virtuosity are thrilling. The solo singing is also very good without being especially memorable. Wedged between the two new works is the ‘Lamentation’ movement from Bernstein’s Jeremiah Symphony, a 10-minute Mahlerian lament for the ruined, fallen city of Jerusalem - another clear link to 9/11. Again, Spano’s conducting is big and bold, as befits the music, but Lenny’s own performance with the Israel Phil. on DG has a unique and powerful theatricality, even if it’s nowhere near as well recorded. I also prefer Christa Ludwig’s surer solo work to Nancy Maultsby’s rather heavy, vibrato-laden mezzo. Still, even taken out of context it makes an ideal complement to the other works featured. With superb sound, this disc can be confidently recommended to those who like their choral music devoid of spurious modernism. Tony Haywood     Advertising Rates Visitor stats MusicWeb International has over 40,000 Classical CD reviews on offer Discs received Having a problem Donating? Gerard Hoffnung Concerts & The Bricklayer Story   New Releases New Releases   MusicWeb sells the Polish catalogue CDAccord £10.50 post free W-W MusicWeb sells the Arcodiva catalogue £12.00 post free W-W £11.75 post-free world- wide MusicWeb can now offer you discs from the following catalogues: Prices include postage [Acte Préalable £13.50] [Arcodiva £12.00] [Avie from £6.25] [British Music Society £12.00] [CDACCORD from £13.50 ] [ClassicO £12.50] [Hallé from £11] [Heritage £10] [Hortus £14.99 ] [Lyrita ONLY £11.75 ] [Nimbus Special prices] [Northern Flowers £13.50] [REDCLIFFE £11 ] [Sheva £11] [Tactus £11.50 ] [Talent from £12.00 ] [Toccata Classics £10.50 ] Musicweb Special Offers Monthly Best Buys     Google Ads - for information about privacy matters, click here.  Amazon Musicweb International is a participant in the Amazon EU Associates Programme, an affiliate advertising programme designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to Amazon.co.uk and Amazon.com

Return to Index

Reviews from previous months Join the mailing list and receive a hyperlinked weekly update on the discs reviewed. details We welcome feedback on our reviews. Please use the Bulletin Board Please paste in the first line of your comments the URL of the review to which you refer.