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Product Details
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| 1. At First Light: I |
| 2. At First Light: II |
| 3. At First Light: III |
| 4. A Mind Of Winter - Penelope Walmsley-Clark/Paul Archibald |
| 5. Ringed By The Flat Horizon - Ross Pople |
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Evocative shapes and beacons of light,
By Rachel Abbinanti (tusai1@aol.com) (Chicago) - See all my reviews
This review is from: George Benjamin: Orchestral Works - At First Light / A Mind of Winter / Ringed by the Flat Horizon (Audio CD)
George Benjamin is a consummate craftsmen. He says he writes directly into the orchestral canvas, meaning he doesn't preconceive,( not always) the sound in his head. He orchestrates directly. And perhaps within the current mileau of after postmodernity, this endeavor the craft of pure orchestration is the most sustaining aspect of our era. Benjamin studied composition in Paris with Olivier Messiaen,a rich life-altering part of his life. He spent months constructing chordal tables some one thousand chords,so to examine the full scope of possibilities. All this work in a way set his musical creativity for life. His music is harsh,strident and piercing ,with sharp metallic instruments to project the sounds further into our sensibilities."A First Light" here is a great example of this. Inspired by J.W Turner's "Norham Castle Sunrise" is like a Debussy "La Mer" a composer animated by the sensual beauty of nature,well once removed in a painting. Yet Benjamin has his own voice. His music is well conceived and you hear it, always a deep sense of control and on-going goal oriented pace. The orchestration can be simply thought by itself, without the necessity of image. Here trombones set up impacted walls of gruff,brooding sound,for which the higher registers buttress themselves.Yet this gives way always to the ethereal,you always sense this concentration of sound can fly off irretreivably for ever.He also brings a sense of lightness,of gentleness to the Turner portrait,with frequent impassioned oboe solos simply interjected after a full orchestral violent passage. Likewise in "A Mind of Winter",soprano Penelope Walmsley-Clark's voice dives right into the sound. After a poem by Wallace Stevens. Again Benjamin knows how to shape a vocal line well into the orchestral canvas, you never sense "song" merely the voice as an extension from the web of the orchestral sonorities. The London Sinfonietta,with Benjamin conducting make a great marriage in music making. Finally "Ringed by the Flat Horizon" with Mark Elder conducting the BBC Symphony has again all the Benjaminian characters, highly strident,sharp piercing sounds,with low brooding depth-bound lower voices. Perhaps the French connection is not out of his system yet, for the gestures do resemble middle period Boulez or Messiaen.
1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
The master orchestrator side of Benjamin in the spotlight, but seek out the reissue that adds two more pieces,
This review is from: George Benjamin: Orchestral Works - At First Light / A Mind of Winter / Ringed by the Flat Horizon (Audio CD)
Among contemporary composers George Benjamin is one of the most prominent fans of the orchestra. Though his style is nothing like that of the great French master, Benjamin studied under Olivier Messiaen, and certainly gained a desire to think big from him. The three major works on this Nimbus CD are a fine example of Benjamin's writing for large forces. BUT, there's a reissue for the composer's 40th that includes "Antara", his wacky work for orchestra and electronics, and a closely-related minor piece.
Benjamin's first orchestral work was "Ringed by the Flat Horizon" (1979-80). Written when the composer was not yet twenty years old, it catapulted him to fame when it appeared at the Proms. An immature work this is not, as there's a compelling dramatic element. The cello has a prominent role (here played by Ross Pople), a somewhat lyrical voice going against the urgency and hysteria of the ensemble. Mark Elder leads the BBC Symphony Orchestra, the same performers as in the world premiere. In the following pieces, the composer himself conducts the London Sinfonietta. "A Mind of Winter" for soprano and chamber orchestra (1981) is my favourite of the works on this disc. In this setting of a Wallace Stevens poem, a static, crystalline soundworld initially predominates, one of the few instances one can compare Benjamin to Messiaen. The soprano's voice, piercing the orchestral textures, is striking, and I absolutely love the last two minutes or so, where the voice and ensemble go from blockiness to a lush cloud. Here Penelope Walmsley-Clark is soprano solo. "At First Light" for chamber ensemble (1982) is my least favourite work here. It's overlong, and there's little perceivable form. However one does admire how much sound Benjamin elicits from only 14 players. Furthermore, there are some unusual touches such as squeaking sounds like something out of Per Norgard's Symphony No. 5. I rate this disc less than five stars because, for all his skill as an orchestrator, one may feel that a sense of innovation is lacking here. Those looking for fresh new ideas from the man would do better to check out another Nimbus disc with "Shadowlines" for piano and "Viola, Viola" for two violas. Nonetheless, fans of contemporary orchestral writing may find this a splendid record.
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