Classical CD and DVD reviews. MusicWeb is not a subscription site and it is our advertisers that pay for it. Please visit their sites regularly to see if anything might interest you. Purchasing from them keeps MusicWeb free.

Classical Editor: Rob Barnett                               Founder Len Mullenger


CD REVIEW



Site Map

More Reviews

How to find a review

Classical CD Review Archive

Book Reviews

Film Music Reviews

Jazz CD Reviews

Nostalgia

Comment

Norman Lebrecht Weekly

Arthur Butterworth Writes

Phil Scowcroft's Garlands

Classical blogs

Reviewers Logs

Announcements

Don't Go Here!

Community

Bulletin Board

Web Ring

Reviewers

Helpers invited!

Resources

Quiz

British Composers

British Light Music Composers

Other composers

Indexes
   Label
   Masterwork

Discographies

On-line Music
[Download sites]

Themed Review pages

Our Classic Classics

Online books
MWI Classical
     Encyclopaedia

Gilder Dictionary of
     Composers

MWI Pop
     Encyclopedia

Other Complete Books

Programme Notes

 

British Music Society
Performers
The BBC Proms
Musical WWW pages
Classical Music Online

Recording Companies and Retailers
Agents and Marketing
Publishers
Non-Classical Web pages
Orchestra Web Sites
Newsgroups
Web News sites etc

 

Editorial Board
Classical Editor
   
Rob Barnett
Seen & Heard
Editor and Webmaster
   Bill Kenny
MusicWeb Webmaster
   Len Mullenger
Assistant Webmasters
   Patrick Waller
   David Barker

PotPourri
A pot-pourri of articles

MW Listening Room
MW Office
Helping MusicWeb
Advice to Windows Vista users  
Questionnaire    
Site History  
What they say about us
What we say about us!
Where to get help on the Internet
CD orders By Special Request
Graphics archive
Currency Converter
Dictionary
Magazines
Newsfeed  
Web Ring
Translation Service

Rules for potential reviewers :-)
Do Not Go Here!
April Fools

Would you like a hyperlinked weekly summary of the CDs we have reviewed?
Click for further details

Sample: See what you will get

alternatively AmazonUK   AmazonUS

 

 

Paul PATTERSON (b. 1947)
Missa Brevis op. 54 (1985) [27:03]
Michael BERKELEY (b. 1948)
Or Shall We Die? (words: Ian McEwan) (1983) [39:03]
London Philharmonic Choir/Owain Arwel Hughes (Patterson)
Heather Harper (soprano); David Wilson-Johnson (baritone)
London Symphony Chorus/London Symphony Orchestra/Richard Hickox (Berkeley)
rec. St Augustine’s Kilburn, 16-18 June 1986 (Patterson); No. 1 Studio, Abbey Road, London, 29 February, 1 March 1984. DDD
EMI CLASSICS BRITISH COMPOSERS 5059212 [66:05]

 


Two works from the 1980s take their place in the line-up of four issues in the EMI British Composers series this month. The theme is war and remembrance. Patterson’s Missa Brevis is an a cappella setting here deftly delivered by a large, precise yet emotionally communicative choir. The style is orthodox yet highly inventive. Try the Sanctus which has an ecstatic high-soaring line contrasted with a pecked out and swung bass motif. This impressive five section mass was originally issued in harness with Patterson’s 1983 Mass of the Sea.

The major work here is Michael Berkeley’s Or Shall We Die? to words by Ian McEwan. This was written in protest against the potential for nuclear conflict. Heather Harper is in consummately entrancing voice rising to ecstasy against a spectacularly vigorous backdrop. The orchestral canvas is gruff and troubled yet not especially avant-garde. The style can loosely be related to Tippett in his most flowing mode and at times to the stutter and anger of Britten in the War Requiem. The brass are splendidly commanding as also is David Wilson-Johnson. It is good to hear both these voices again and especially Harper whose voice serves as both benediction and passionate exhortation.

The sung texts are not provided which is a pity as without the words we lose contact with the detail of Berkeley’s and McEwan’s message. Its broad thrust is however undimmed in a work that has not dated – the music is too strong for that. I would rather like to compare how the passage of years have treated another big piece from those days: The Women of Greenham – if anyone has a CDR copy of that two LP set.

Here are two comparatively modern works leaning on the one hand on protest and on the other on a choral legacy stretching back to Byrd and Tallis.

Rob Barnett

 

Advertising Rates
Visitor stats
MusicWeb International
has over 21,000 Classical CD reviews on offer


Gerard Hoffnung Concerts &
The Bricklayer Story

Naxos Classical 

Australian Eloquence CDs on Buywell.com


New Releases

Hyperion
New Releases


Guild Music






MusicWeb sells the Polish
catalogue CDAccord
£10.50 post free W-W


MusicWeb sells the
Arcodiva catalogue
£12.00 post free W-W


Price Reduction: £11.75
post-free

 

MusicWeb can now offer you discs from the following catalogues:
Prices include postage

[Acte Préalable £13.50]
[Arcodiva £12.00]
[Ashgate Music Books]
[Avie from £6.25]
[British Music Society £13.49]
[CDACCORD from £10.50 ]
[ClassicO £12.50]
[Hortus £14.99 ]

[Lyrita ONLY £11.75 ]
[Onyx £12.00
]
[REDCLIFFE £11 ]
[Tactus £11.50 ]
[Talent from £12.00 ]
[Toccata Classics £12.50 ]

MusicWeb Recommended Recordings 2008

DISCS OF THE YEAR 2007

 



Return to Review 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..

 


You can purchase CDs and Save around 22% with these retailers: