Music Of Grainger Britten And Warlock Music Cd

Warlock - Music Of Grainger Britten And Warlock

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Music of Grainger, Britten and Warlock      List Price : $15.99 USD        Your Price : $15.99 USD      ProductGroup: Music      Release Date : 1991-01-01      Studio : Phoenix USA      Label : Phoenix USA      Avg. Customer Rating : (2 reviews)

Reviews Customer Reviews for Music Of Grainger Britten And Warlock      limited appeal      Rating:      I've been interested in the Phoenix catalog, which has made valuable reissues of interesting material from the Desto and Everest catalogs and other obscure LP labels from the 1970s, the only drawback being that many of these reissues were "straight" from the LPs, with no filler, short timings and all (see my reviews of Symphony No.4/Milena, Kingdom Come/Machinations, Songs Drones and Refrains of Death/Concertino for Chamber Orchestra). Not so here, as this disc culls together a full LP and the partial contents of another one, for a generous enough TT of 63:23. The works for band by Percy Grainger, played by the UCLA Wind Ensemble under James Westbrook, were recorded digitally in 1980 and came out on Varèse/Sarabande 100050 (cut at 45rpm to ensure better sound reproduction). The Flagello-conducted Britten and Warlock compositions were taped in October 1977 and first issued on Peters International PLE-054 with works of Francis Chagrin (Five Aquarelles) and Alan Rawsthorne (Light Music for Strings). The only info given on the disc's cover by the way are the recording dates. Still, having no particular interest in the music for band of Grainger, I wouldn't have bought this particular CD if I hadn't found it in a cut-out bin for 2 euros. I'm glad I didn't pay more. After hearing it, I still have no great interest for the band music of Grainger. "Lincolnshire Posy", an elaboration composed in 1937 after English folksongs collated by Grainger in 1905-07, is apparently one of the composer's most famous pieces in the genre. I can understand its, and Grainger's other band music's appeal: it is simple, popular, easy listening. The classical account of Lincolnshire's Posy is of course Frederick Fennell's with his Eastman Wind Ensemble, reissued on a Mercury Living Presence CD with various works including Persichetti's 6th Symphony (Frederick Fennell & the Eastman Wind Ensemble: Grainger; Persichetti...). Although the timings in each movement are within seconds between both interpretations, there is an extra bite in Fennell's reading which does make a difference (there is also a striking difference in instrumental balance at the beginning of the third - and in my opinion best - piece, "Rufford Park Poachers", making it sound almost like a different composition), but, as fine as the Mercury early stereo sound still is (1958), Westbrook's recording does come in more spacious and comfortable sound. Notwithstanding, if it was only for Lincolnshire Posy, Fennell would still be the prime recommendation, but here you get seven more Grainger pieces for band (roughly 22 minutes). The Grainger part adds up to a total of 36:30 minutes. On the other hand, I can't see anyone except the most diehard devotees of composer Nicolas Flagello interested in the Britten (reworking of some of his Juvenilia) and Warlock (neo-Renaissance reinvention) fillers. The sound is present but a bit artificial and cavernous, and there are so many more obvious choices, including Britten's own recording of his composition (Britten: Young Person's Guide to the Orchestra Op34; Simple Symphony Op4) and Marriner's classic recording of Warlock (Warlock: Capriol Suite; Butterworth: A Shropshire Lad; Britten: Variations on a Theme of Frank Bridge). Phoenix would have been better inspired to find other band pieces, by Grainger or others, as fillers of the Varèse/Sarabande reissue, and to reissue on another CD a coherent program with the rest of the original Peters LP, completed perhaps with compositions of Flagello (they have reissued one of those: Capriccio for Cello and Orchestra/Contemplazioni di Michelangelo). By the way the complete original Flagello-conducted program can be found on this site as an audio cassette: Britten, Rawsthorne, Chagrin, Warlock. As it is, 36:30 minutes of Grainger Band music seems to me to have a somewhat limited appeal. This one doesn't stay in my collection.     Customer Reviews for Music Of Grainger Britten And Warlock Cd      Fine selection of Grainger and solid virtuosity to boot      Rating:      Wow. With the many fine wind ensembles out there, Dr. Westbrook's 52-member UCLA group is right up there with the best of them in this CD. The ensemble soloists are both individually expressive and almost technically flawless in the Grainger pieces. There are some very minor intonation misses as a group, a few spots where section unison playing (i.e. "sound as one") can be detected as not in unison, and a slightly irritating (controllable, but not controlled) over buzzing of the contraclarinet in a piece or two, but these constitute mere nuances (i.e. being over picky here). The Capriol Suite (by the string ensemble) should be nostalgically familiar to some high school (or grade school musicians) who performed in full orchestra, a nice bonus piece to supplement this concert band CD. I whole heartedly recommend a purchase here as the major Grainger pieces are included (e.g. Lincolnshire Posy, Colonial Song, Irish Tune, etc.--great selection, very well played). IF you either: 1) desire a more comprehensive selection of Grainger and/or 2) are, for example, a music educator, who could benefit from a 100-piece "traditional" concert band recording to use with your students (or you desire the mass of a full band) I'd suggest the Univ of Illinois "Begian" 2 CD Grainger set, but you have to order from the University directly. IF you don't have either of these needs, you can't go wrong with the UCLA purchase here as a solo CD!