Signum
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Claire Jones plays Glière, Debussy and Mozart
Claire Jones (harp), William Bennett (flute)
English Chamber Orchestra, Paul Watkins
She performs diligently and allows the instrument to gleam and twinkle sonically in front of the self-effacing ECO. William Bennett is an eloquent flute partner in the Mozart. —
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Monteverdi: Vespro della beata Vergine (1610)
Robert Howarth (director/harpsichord)
Orchestra of the Age of the Enlightenment & Choir of the Age of the Enlightenment
What is impressive is the grammatical sense (underpinned by flexible accentuation) that the choir brings to the projection of the words in Dixit Dominus and at many other places. Also, as we... —
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Christina Rossetti's poem is notable for psychological, sexual and narcotic implication that could scarcely have been more overt in mid-Victorian Britain, and Kermis has responded by making... —
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As this disc demonstrates… 'serious' music may be less pure than 50 years ago and there may no longer by a Great Tradition, there is ample evidence of its vitality and the commitment of its... —
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…throughout, the BBC Singers do their erstwhile colleague proud, David Hill securing performances as flexible and multi contoured as they are expressive and spatially-aware. The recorded sound... —
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There is real pain in the pivotal chords that shift the mood in the last movement of Beethoven’s piano sonata No 31 in A flat major; aching tenderness and stately grandeur in two Chopin nocturnes... —
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His writing is thematically concentrated, notably evocative and clearly heartfelt. It is close to Szymanowski in sound and in its solutions in pitting a solo violin against a lustrous orchestra.... —
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Panufnik’s works present varied sound worlds, luminous settings of sacred texts and, in the title track, traces of Celtic folksong. Celestial Bird sets a mystical poem by Carmelite nun Jessica... —
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Walton's avoidance of excessive vibrato and his generally straightforward approach to phrasing has an appealing freshness. Vladimir Ashkenazy and the Philharmonia are very discreet accompanists,... —
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Walton's musical thought continues to deepen, with each movement taking the listener further into the tangle of complexities that the music has to offer, his spirited performance...closely channelling... —
