Shakespeare's Tempest - Sullivan, Sibelius / Stern, Kansas City Symphony

$18.99
Label
Reference Recordings
Release Date
July 7, 2008
Format
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    Featuring ⌄
    • COMPOSER
      SIBELIUS SULLIVAN
    • ORCHESTRA / ENSEMBLE
      Kansas City Symphony
    • PERFORMER
      Stern
    Product Details ⌄
    • RELEASE DATE
      July 07, 2008
    • UPC
      030911111526
    • CATALOG NUMBER
      RR-115
    • LABEL
      Reference Recordings
    • NUMBER OF DISCS
      1
    • GENRE
      Orchestral & Symphonic
    Works ⌄

    1. Introduction

      Composer: Arthur Sullivan

      Ensemble: Kansas City Symphony

      Conductor: Michael Stern

    2. Prelude to Act III

      Composer: Arthur Sullivan

      Ensemble: Kansas City Symphony

      Conductor: Michael Stern

    3. Banquet Dance

      Composer: Arthur Sullivan

      Ensemble: Kansas City Symphony

      Conductor: Michael Stern

    4. Overture to Act IV

      Composer: Arthur Sullivan

      Ensemble: Kansas City Symphony

      Conductor: Michael Stern

    5. Dance of Nymphs and Reapers

      Composer: Arthur Sullivan

      Ensemble: Kansas City Symphony

      Conductor: Michael Stern

    6. Prelude to Act V

      Composer: Arthur Sullivan

      Ensemble: Kansas City Symphony

      Conductor: Michael Stern

    7. Epilogue

      Composer: Arthur Sullivan

      Ensemble: Kansas City Symphony

      Conductor: Michael Stern

    8. The Tempest, Op. 109: Prelude

      Composer: Jean Sibelius

      Ensemble: Kansas City Symphony

      Conductor: Michael Stern

    9. I. Chorus of the Winds

      Composer: Jean Sibelius

      Ensemble: Kansas City Symphony

      Conductor: Michael Stern

    10. II. Intermezzo

      Composer: Jean Sibelius

      Ensemble: Kansas City Symphony

      Conductor: Michael Stern

    11. III. Dance of the Nymphs

      Composer: Jean Sibelius

      Ensemble: Kansas City Symphony

      Conductor: Michael Stern

    12. IV. Prospero

      Composer: Jean Sibelius

      Ensemble: Kansas City Symphony

      Conductor: Michael Stern

    13. V. Song I

      Composer: Jean Sibelius

      Ensemble: Kansas City Symphony

      Conductor: Michael Stern

    14. V. Song II

      Composer: Jean Sibelius

      Ensemble: Kansas City Symphony

      Conductor: Michael Stern

    15. VI. Miranda

      Composer: Jean Sibelius

      Ensemble: Kansas City Symphony

      Conductor: Michael Stern

    16. VII. The Naiads

      Composer: Jean Sibelius

      Ensemble: Kansas City Symphony

      Conductor: Michael Stern

    17. VIII. Dance Episode

      Composer: Jean Sibelius

      Ensemble: Kansas City Symphony

      Conductor: Michael Stern

    18. I. The Oak Tree

      Composer: Jean Sibelius

      Ensemble: Kansas City Symphony

      Conductor: Michael Stern

    19. II. Humoresque

      Composer: Jean Sibelius

      Ensemble: Kansas City Symphony

      Conductor: Michael Stern

    20. III. Caliban's Song

      Composer: Jean Sibelius

      Ensemble: Kansas City Symphony

      Conductor: Michael Stern

    21. IV. The Harvesters

      Composer: Jean Sibelius

      Ensemble: Kansas City Symphony

      Conductor: Michael Stern

    22. V. Canon

      Composer: Jean Sibelius

      Ensemble: Kansas City Symphony

      Conductor: Michael Stern

    23. VI. Scene

      Composer: Jean Sibelius

      Ensemble: Kansas City Symphony

      Conductor: Michael Stern

    24. VII. Intrada -

      Composer: Jean Sibelius

      Ensemble: Kansas City Symphony

      Conductor: Michael Stern

    25. VII. Berceuse

      Composer: Jean Sibelius

      Ensemble: Kansas City Symphony

      Conductor: Michael Stern

    26. VIII. Ariel's Song

      Composer: Jean Sibelius

      Ensemble: Kansas City Symphony

      Conductor: Michael Stern

    27. IX. The Storm

      Composer: Jean Sibelius

      Ensemble: Kansas City Symphony

      Conductor: Michael Stern



Arthur Sullivan's music for The Tempest reveals the 19-year-old as a serious talent. Yes, the music owes something to Mendelssohn--the Prelude, particularly, takes a few major hints from the Fingal's Cave Overture. But the melodic inspiration is fresh, the orchestration vivid, the dance music aptly toe-tapping, and the brief postlude curiously moving in a way that actually anticipates the more reflective moments of the Sibelius that follows. Coupling these two works, one a barely known first orchestral essay, the other a late but still curiously neglected masterpiece, was a brilliant idea--a "concept" album that really makes good musical sense.

The playing order of the Sibelius also is very intelligent: Prelude (Storm), Suite No. 2, then Suite No. 1, which ends with a reprise of the Prelude's storm music. Happily, both here and in the Sullivan, the performances are as smart, atmospheric, and vibrant as the music itself. Caliban's Song and the storm episodes have impressive power, and they're stunningly recorded in vintage Reference Recordings fashion. The more lyrical moments, such as the Berceuse and the various song transcriptions, are all beautifully played by the Kansas orchestra. The wind soloists are uniformly fine (listen to the flute in The Oak Tree, from Suite No. 1), and the harp, so important to the music's "magic" elements, is wonderfully present without ever sounding spotlit. Only "Miranda" from Suite No. 2 sounds a touch edgy in the violins, the tempo slightly rushed. This and any other minor quibbles certainly aren't enough to prevent me from recommending this new release in the strongest possible terms. It's a winner in all respects.

--David Hurwitz, ClassicsToday.com