Customer Reviews

Arnold: Overtures

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Malcolm Arnold is an absolute master of the orchestra thanks to long experience as a player (trumpet) in London orchestras, to his experience as a film composer and conductor (Bridge on the River Kwai, for instance), and to his natural gifts as a composer. He has a strong, well-profiled melodic sense and a superb rhythmic sense. These overtures are prime examples in miniature form of his work, and the peformances are impeccable: authoritative from the man himself, who knows just how to get the results he wants from the players. He lets his creations bloom in a way that holds your attention - and brings you back for repeated hearings. If you do not know Arnold, this is a perfect introduction. If you do know his work, why are you reading this; you should be ordering it! (Technically, the disc is beyond reproach in the best Reference tradition.)

.....to express just how wonderful this recording is. Great composers do not always do a great job conducting their own music, but Arnold sure did. [One could wish that Mahler had lived till we learned to record full orchestras].

All five tracks are wonderful, and the interpretation is, naturally, definitive. Track five, "Commonwealth Christmas Overture" is the longest, and is one of the most absolutely joyous things I've ever heard.

Several years ago, the folks at Reference Recordings told me that this was the best recording they had ever done. They MAY be right, but they have done a lot of great stuff. Two things I know [1] Keith Johnson got this absolutely perfect, and [2] this is one of the all time joys of recorded sound.

A final word about track three, "The Smoke"....it has some of the most astounding percussion you will ever hear. IF YOU CRANK IT UP TOO HIGH, YOU WILL DESTROY YOUR SPEAKERS!!! Get this record without fail; you'll love it. But, if you ignore my warning, I will not pay to replace your speakers.