Customer Reviews

John Rutter: Three Musical Fables

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"ONCE YOU LEAVE ITS BORDERS YOU MAY NE'ER RETURN AGAIN"(from the song 'Toyland' by Victor Herbert).
Well, Victor, you obviously have not heard this amazing recording by John Rutter and Forces. Looking for something for my young grandchildren I found quite by accident this truly remarkable and musically excellent recording! And I said loudly: FOR ME! FOR ME!! It is ageless and bears the stamp of Rutter's creativity and superior musicianship plus an absolutely STUNNING performance by the King's Singers.

This is an enchanting CD for children (and eavesdropping adults), gathering together three "musical fables" that John Rutter wrote for Christmas Concerts given by the King's Singers and Cambridge Singers of London Sinfonia; "The Reluctant Dragon" and "The Wind in the Willows" based on Kenneth Graham stories , adapted by David Grant. "Brother Heinrich's Christmas" was written for a Christmas TV Special from Salisbury Cathedral, with Rutter writing the story as well as the music. This entire recording is like the sound track to a musical, with Richard Baker narrating "Dragon" and "Willow" and Brian Kay narrating "Brother", and Anthony Holt, for instance, playing St. George in "Dragon".

The music is appropriately descriptive; the narrators dictionally and dramatically perfect; at no time was a word lost in the speaking or the singing. There are some really lovely songs in each little musical with tunes that are singable and meaningful. The three fables are delightfully entertaining. I found it mesmorizing! And it's been many long years since I have seen childhood.

CONTENTS: 1. 'Wind in the Willows' for narrator, vocal ensemble and orchestra.
2. 'Brother Heinrich's Christmas', for narrator, chorus and orchestra.
3. 'The Reluctant Dragon', for narrator, vocal ensemble and orchestra.

This is a remastering of a 2004 disc; sixty-nine minutes. The package includes a twenty page booklet with pertinent information and a complete text of all three stories.

I was delighted to find that this music is now available on CD. We had an old LP and played this over and over for our children when they were young. The music by John Rutter is beautiful and matches the stories perfectly. The Kings' Singers perform both the Reluctant Dragon and the Wind in the Willows. It is a great pleasure to listen to.

John Rutter has created some of the best choral music around. In this CD, he shows his playful side with three stories sung with narration. Two (The Reluctant Dragon and Wind in the Willows) are based on books by Kenneth Grahame. Brother Heinrich's Christmas is solely by Ritter. the singing and narration are flawless, with every word audible. This is an album to enjoy over and over. A keeper!

I purchased this for my mother and she was so happy that I was able to get them. She does not have a computer, so I was glad I could get it for her.

Rita