Customer Reviews

Barber: Dover Beach / Songs / String Quartet / Serenade

5 star:		(3)
4 star:		(0)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

This CD is a pleasure to listen to, Thomas Allen brings such understanding and warmth to well loved Barber songs. With such a deep sense of emotion and an absolutely gripping performance,Tomas Allen draws the listener deep into this wonderful music. Samuel Barber wrote this music with these words in mind, "When I am Writing music for words, then I immerse myself in these words, and I let the music flow out of this." Thomas Allen brings elegance and sophistication to these marvelous pieces of music. The endellion String Quartet also puts a good foot forward, capturing the melancholy eloquence of Barber's precious gifts to mankind. All in all this CD is a definite 5 stars and I would suggest it highly to any lover of Samuel Barber's music.

For those of you who like chamber music (and some might even start to like it afterwards), but who are fed up with the "old classics", this is a different style, but nontheless not "difficult" to listen to. I especially loved number 1 with the unusual combination of string quartet and male voice. There and in the song numbers, Thomas Allen's beautiful soothing timbre makes this a pleasant listening experience.

On this inspiring 1990 collection Thomas Allen begins with a compelling, deeply sincere performance of Barber's Dover Beach. I don't think I've ever heard an English singer pay such tribute to an Armican composer. The Endellion Quartet, basically unknown in the U.S., plays gorgeously. They perform alone in Barber's Serenade and Quartet #1 (at 7 min. their unaffected Adagio, extracted to beomce the Adagio for Strings, is measured but not overly broad).

The rest of the colleciton consists of a dozen wel-loved songs by Barber, which Allen sings with soft-grained intensity. He doesn't attempt an American accent, which makes little difference. One listen to the famous "Sure on This Shining Night" tells you immediately that Allen is in the emotional world--rhapsodic lyricism with undertones of aching melancholy--that is Barber's own. Roger Vignoble, one of the very best British accompanists, is excellent throughout.

In all, I would say Allen sings these songs with more naturalness than Thomas Hampson in the complete set on DG. A wonderful tribute.