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Thrilling Singing
Elgar and Duruflé with a surprise soloist,
heard by MIKE WHEELER
The more I hear Elgar's The Music Makers the more convinced I become that it's been seriously under-rated in the past. No, Arthur O'Shaunessy's poem is not great literature, but it gave Elgar the imagery he needed to make a deeply personal statement about an artist's place in society, at a time when his reputation seemed to have peaked and begun to decline.
In Derby Bach Choir's performance (Derby Cathedral, Derby, UK, 19 November 2011) conductor Richard Roddis set a brisk pace for the orchestral introduction, establishing a restlessness that felt exactly right, giving way to a beautifully focussed first choral entry...
Copyright © 25 November 2011
Mike Wheeler,
Derby UK
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