![]() ![]() The English sound and the Whitacre sonic universe form a happy union on this CD. When it comes to American choral music, sometimes there can be much to learn by allowing others to wrestle with it. Polyphonyís incisive singing wonderfully evokes the many senses and sounds of a cloud bubbling with pressure and rupturing into rainfall. The discís title piece, Cloudburst, is arguably the most virtuosic and interesting selection. The trauma, torment, and massive grief expressed in When David Heard are preceded by the elegantly simple Go, Lovely Rose, which conveys the opening of a flower. ![]() He precedes and follows many of the weightier works with lighter, simple pieces. While an entire compact disc of Eric Whitacre may seem monochromatic at times, Laytonís arrangement of the selections provides the greatest possible variety between the musicís emotional and spiritual centers. Luckily, the words, the inspiration for such tone painting, are not lost in the dense texture because of the groupís crisp, clean diction. Additionally, having been recorded in a large reverberant church, the musicís spaciousness is allowed to unfold into the air. The musicís billowing and unique color shifts waft and settle in the ensembleís perfect evenness of tone. With Polyphonyís accurate intonation, the clusters and clouds of sound shimmer with clarity. He uses large cluster chords as structural pillars that develop from a sparse texture to a layered wall of sound. Whitacre builds dense textures of sound that ebb and flow. While words may not be set to specific colors, the overall sound and direction of the piece rely on a deep understanding of the poetry. He paints with sound, moving to specific chords at just the precise moment to evoke the spirituality and sensuousness within the text. ![]() Most of Whitacreís music can be described as tone poems. Under Laytons directorship, Polyphony handles Whitacres evocative and soulful music with consummate artistry from the quiet intensity of Sleep to the breathtaking exuberance of With a lily in your hand, by way of the tender innocence of This Marriage (one of three premiere recordings on the disc), this new recording is a stunning showcase both for an up-and-coming young composer and also for the awesome talents of one of the UKs leading choirs.In fact, the exacting singing of Polyphony, under the direction of Stephen Layton, gives the world a better sense of Whitacreís music than many American performances. And who better to represent an innovative young choral composer than Stephen Layton and Polyphony, award-winning exponents of twentieth-century choral music? Their account of Brittens Sacred and Profane garnered the group a Gramophone Award and a Diapason dOr in 2001, in 2002 a Gramophone Award nomination followed for the choirs Walton CD, and at the 2004 Gramophone Awards Polyphonys recording of works by Arvo Part, Triodion, was voted Best of Category in the Choral division. This is clearly a composer to watch, and if his phenomenal Stateside success is anything to go by, his emergence into the British music scene should be revelatory. Whitacres published works have sold well over 350,000 copies worldwide. His Water Night (included on this new recording) has become one of the most popular choral works of the last decade, and is one of the top-selling choral publications of all time. The American Record Guide named his first recording one of the top ten classical albums in 1997, and the Los Angeles Times described his music as having electric, chilling harmonies works of unearthly beauty and imagination. $ Īt the age of only 35, Eric Whitacre has already gained a reputation in the United States that many composers strive for a lifetime to achieve. ![]()
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