Customer Reviews

Elliot Goldenthal: Fire Water Paper (A Vietnam Oratorio)

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

 

 

I have only given this recording four stars, because the recording itself is not the best. For the most part it is very good, however the sopranos tend to sharp miserably in the big Forte chorale sections, and the balance between the different choirs, and between the choirs and orchestra leaves something to be desired. This is the first Goldenthal recording I have ever heard, and I was blown away. It constantly teaters between sometimes less than beautiful A-tonality and passionate beautiful sound. The rythmic conventions employed by Goldenthal in the second movement are extremely effective, and moving. This is an incredibly powerful piece of music, that leaves me in awe after every listening. This recording is well worth the money, you will not be dissapointed.

Elliot Goldenthal is one of the most inciteful composers of our time, but, like many modern composers, he has turned to film scoring to put food on the table. That's why I was delighted that this concert work found its way into Sony's catalog. "Fire, Water, Paper: A Vietnam Oratorio" goes a long way in capturing the tragedy of the Vietnam War. Goldenthal pulls no punches here, preferring an unvarnished, intense, and at times violent portrayal. The actual performance suffers a bit, with some ensemble issues in the orchestra and pitch issues in the chorus. Yo-Yo Ma's playing is appropriately intense, though it's surprising that he signed up for such a small solo role. Sony's recorded sound is, as usual, a little transparent and blurred, but still effective.

Nonetheless, the experience is intense and unforgettable. Because Goldenthal's perspective is relatively unbiased, anyone can be moved by this music, regardless of their opinion of the Vietnam War. This music is an important window into one of the saddest conflicts of the 20th century, and also an important look at the music of Elliot Goldenthal.

I don't want to go on at length so I'll say that, while I love the entirety of this oratorio, I especially love the Scherzo. There are parts where the strings imitate distant gunfire and a distorted, Hendrix-like guitar off in the distant, giving this scary image of what it must've been like to have the Americans coming at you.

I think that this is the most unsettling, most chaotically written, most upseting CD. I loved it. i think the whole...strange manner of the scherzo was just brilliant and the sparatic hits of the entire orchestra in fire was so... i can't even find the words.