Fern Hill: American Choral Music

Samuel Barber (Composer), Jean Belmont (Composer), John Corigliano (Composer), James Mulholland (Composer), Williametta Spencer (Composer), Spiritual Traditional (Composer), Charles Bruffy (Conductor), Kansas City Chorale (Performer), Patricia Higdon (Performer)

Product Details

• Performer: Kansas City Chorale, Patricia Higdon
• Conductor: Charles Bruffy
• Composer: Samuel Barber, Jean Belmont, John Corigliano, James Mulholland, Williametta Spencer, et al.
• Audio CD (October 3, 1995)
• SPARS Code: DDD
• Number of Discs: 1
• Label: Nimbus Records
• ASIN: B0000037GA
• In-Print Editions: MP3 Download
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars See all reviews (5 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #64,700 in Music (See Bestsellers in Music)

  Popular in these categories: (What's this?)

  #12 in	Music > Classical > Featured Composers, A-Z > ( C ) > Corigliano, John
  #80 in	Music > Classical > Featured Performers, A-Z > ( B ) > Barber, Samuel
  #82 in	Music > Classical > Featured Composers, A-Z > ( B ) > Barber, Samuel

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com
Several world premieres highlight this disc from the outstanding Kansas City Chorale, including the title work and a setting of "L'Invitation au Voyage", both by John Corigliano. While these, unfortunately, are uninspiring original works by Jean Belmont and James Mulholland, settings of "Shenandoah" by Conrad Susa and "Deep River" by Roy Ringwald are excellent. Unexcelled performances of Barber's "Reincarnations" round out the program. --David Vernier

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

6 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Fantastic blend of voices and styles. A must get!, March 12, 1999

By A Customer

This recording of the Kansas City Chorale is a wonderful collection of American songs ranging from 20th century Britten to spiritual arrangements that are superbly sung. I have sung many of these songs myself, and will heartily recommend this CD to anyone looking for a choir with tremendous expression, musicality, and tone. This CD has a variety of music that music teachers can use to preview pieces for use in their choirs. It isn't often that you can find an album that has such a combination of styles, and it is refreshing to listen to. If nothing else, purchase this CD for the title piece Fern Hill.

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars No reservations on this one, June 4, 2002

By	Joshua Saulle (Yonkers, NY USA) - See all my reviews

Never mind the few gripes of the Amazon reviewer. What he decries as "unoriginal" settings by Belmont and Mulholland are wonderful settings by composers who have clearly mastered the art of choral arrangement and composition. Their rich harmonies are colored with wonderfully expressive dissonances which tense and then resolve into lush consonances, but never does the harmony become ponderous or leaden. 'The Passionate Shepherd', 'The Roadside Fire' are totally satisfying, far more so than many more 'original' works which place their originality above emotional expression. 'A Red, Red Rose' is the most beautiful setting of the poem I've ever encountered.
I concur with the reviewer on the rest of the disc. Splendid singing and musical interpretation. I lost my copy of this disc and I am pining for it, so I've come back to buy another. It's that good.

2 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Fantastic blend of voices and styles. A must get!, March 12, 1999

By A Customer

This recording of the Kansas City Chorale is a wonderful collection of American songs ranging from 20th century Barber to spiritual arrangements that are superbly sung. I have sung many of these songs myself, and will heartily recommend this CD to anyone looking for a choir with tremendous expression, musicality, and tone. This CD has a variety of music that music teachers can use to preview pieces for use in their choirs. It isn't often that you can find an album that has such a combination of styles, and it is refreshing to listen to. If nothing else, purchase this CD for the title piece Fern Hill