Andrew Watts; Jeffrey Lloyd-Roberts; Bbc Singers; London Sinfonietta; David Atherton
Release Date: 18 May 2015
Label: NMC Recordings
Packaging Type: Jewel Case
No of Units: 1
Barcode: 5023363021128
Description
Described by The Guardian as 'hauntingly powerful', Birtwistle's cantata Angel Fighter vividly explores the Biblical story of the struggle between man and divine being from the Book of Genesis. Predictably, for a composer with a long-standing fascination in myth, drama and ritual, it's the physical fight between Jacob and the Angel more than religious significance, that interests Birtwistle: the tension, twists of pulse, sharp accents and jeering chants from the chorus make it feel more like a wrestling match than a life-or-death struggle. Quartertones and string harmonics enhance the otherworldly descent of the Angel from Heaven and librettist Stephen Plaice makes clever use of Enochian, an angelic language 'discovered' by the 16th century alchemist and adviser to Queen Elizabeth I, John Dee.
In Broken Images, inspired by Gabrieli's multi-choir canzonas, splits the ensemble into four groups (woodwind, brass, strings and percussion) and takes its title from the Robert Graves poem. Birtwistle continues to draw influence from the past in Virelai (Sus une fontayne), a rhythmically intricate realisation of a piece by Johannes Ciconia, who flourished in the late Middle Ages, around the time that Chaucer was writing his Canterbury Tales.
Tracklisting
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Freya Waley-Cohen, Manchester Collective, Heloise Werner, Katie Bray, Fleur Barron, Tamsin Waley-Co
Slide Action
Siwan Rhys
BBC Concert Orchestra, BBC Singers, Alice Farnham
Lisa Illean, Sydney Symphony Orchestra, GBSR Duo, Juliet Fraser, Explore Ensemble
BBC Symphony Orchestra, Martyn Brabbins, Andrew Davis
BBC National Orchestra of Wales, Jukka-Pekka Saraste, London Sinfonietta, Ryan Wigglesworth, Huw Wa
Horst Wolf
Sophie Gordeladze, Hector Sandoval, Luca Grassi, Martin Piskorski, Rory Dunne, Cappella Aquileia, T
Tina Gorina; Vivica Genaux; Giulio Pelligra; German Olvera; Riccardo Novaro; Ugo Guagliardo; Pawel
Marta Torbidoni; David Astorga; German Olvera; Aleksey Bogdanov; Matheus Pompeu; Paulina Boreczko;
Anita Cerquetti
Bayerischer Staatsopernchor & Orch, Keilberth
Marina Rebeka, Orquesta y Coro del Teatro Real, Madrid, John Fiore
Francesco Ledda, Opera Discovery Orchestra, Amarilli Nizza, Fabuo Armiliato, Massimiliano Fichera,
