The Florestan Recital Project, Aaron Engebreth, Alison D'ama
Format Details:
Description
These discs offer the most complete recorded collection of works for voice and piano of Virgil Thomson (1896 - 1989), one of the most important American composers of the twentieth century. Thomson wrote songs throughout his career and they offer a unique window into his changing musical concerns and his compositional evolution. Since this recording includes works previously unpublished and unrecorded, it makes possible a more complete understanding of his work.
Thomson wrote that the great song composers - Schubert, Schumann, Brahms, Wolf, Mahler, Faure, Debussy, Duparc, Ravel, and Poulenc-accomplished their miracles through their ability to make the music "not only of equal quality with the verse but also its mate. It gets inside a poem and stays there, intertwined unforgettably, never to be thought of henceforth as not a part of the whole idea." He contrasted these works with the songs of Purcell, which he thought, although very beautiful and expertly done, nonetheless did not fuse the music and text—the music was merely "decorative."
Tracklisting
Present Music, Ariadne Greif, David Bloom
Sofia Burgos, Sofia Jernberg, Zwerm
Ghost Ensemble: Margaret Lancaster, Sky Macklay, Ben Richter, Chris Nappi, Lucia Helen Stavros, Mar
Sarah Hennies
Ostrava New Orchestra, Owen Underhill, Ostravska Banda, Petr Kotik, Elision Ensemble, Arditti Quart
James Martin, Lynn Raley
Peter Gena
New World
Walter Weller; Various Orchestras
Rafael Fruhbeck de Burgos; Various Orchestras
Quatuor Molinari
Luc Beausejour
Ariane Brisson; Philip Chiu
Tomas Vrana, Janacek Philharmonic Ostrava, Gabor Kali
The Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra|Riccardo Chailly
The Choir of Merton College, Oxford, Britten Sinfonia, Benjamin Nicholas
