musicweb "recording of the month" february 2006
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25035 musicweb "recording of the month" february 2006 |
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ARNOLD: THE RETURN OF ODYSSEUS THE WORLD PREMIÈRE RECORDING of Sir Malcolm Arnold's wonderful humorous dramatic cantata. With a fine performance of Vaughan William's beautiful choral work (a Classic FM Hall Of Fame composition) and a rare chance to hear Milhaud's Suite Française in its full orchestral version. |
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| playing time: 57:54 direct sale price: £12.00 audio sample: The Return of Odysseus - opening |
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tracks: Arnold: The Return of Odysseus, op. 119 KINDLY SPONSORED BY:
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review extracts: for full reviews click here | ||
| “The CD is fabulous. I played it twice to Sir Malcolm and we are both thrilled… this is a fantastic CD altogether, we love it!” - Anthony Day (Sir Malcolm Arnold’s PA) | |||
| "an essential purchase...not to be missed" - Rob Barnett (MusicWeb) - RECORDING OF THE MONTH | |||
| "[the Arnold has] typically vivid scoring. Conductor Graham Taylor points up the detail, his feel for colour and texture as engaging in [the other works] - Tom Hall (Culture Magazine) - CD OF THE MONTH | |||
| “I applaud Divine Arts for this valuable contribution to the Arnold discography: Odysseus is indeed returned - to his proper place, before the music-loving public. Make no mistake, overall this is a sterling performance by Graham Taylor and his Glasgow cohorts. They sound as though they enjoyed themselves hugely whilst making the CD. I’m having just as much fun listening to it - and so, for that matter, should you. - Paul Serotsky (MusicWeb) | |||
| “a fine debut album…The Chorus rise to the occasion with a knock-out climax. [The VW] is a touching an beautiful performance. ×××× - Michael Tumelty (Glasgow Herald) | |||
| “[Odysseus] is highly listenable… a masterly simplification of Homer’s Odyssey”. ×××× - Nick Bailey (Classic FM Magazine) | |||
| “[Odysseus] is an approachable and lusty affair.. Taylor secures a lively, spirited account. [The Milhaud] is a delectably tuneful and tangy gem." - Andrew Achenbach (The Gramophone) | |||
| “excellent stuff… [the VW] performance is a fine one, well sung, well played. The Milhaud…is extremely well played. [The Arnold] receives another remarkable performance, with a particularly outstanding contribution from the fine amateur choir.” – William Hedley (Journal of the RVW Society) | |||
| “a lively and enjoyable cantata. Orchestra, chorus and soloist do fine justice to the score…a fine recommendable program” – Haldeman ( American Record Guide) | |||
| “a great addition to the English choral repertoire… the recording is very agreeable and well recommended” – TMS (Federation of Recorded Music Societies) | |||
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