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
Atlanta Symphony Chorus and Orchestra/Robert Spano
