The Revenge of Hamish & Other Choral Works

William McClelland (Composer), William Appling (Conductor), William Appling Orchestra (Orchestra), William Appling Singers (Performer), Deborah Jamini (Performer), Bill Ruyle (Performer), Mary Rowell (Performer), Diane Marazzi (Performer)

Product Details

• Performer: William Appling Singers, Deborah Jamini, Bill Ruyle, Mary Rowell, Diane Marazzi
• Orchestra: William Appling Orchestra
• Conductor: William Appling
• Composer: William McClelland
• Audio CD (November 25, 2003)
• SPARS Code: DDD
• Number of Discs: 1
• Label: Albany Records
• ASIN: B0000UJL6Y
• In-Print Editions: MP3 Download
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #463,916 in Music (See Bestsellers in Music)

Editorial Reviews

Gramophone Magazine, July, 2004
Vivid music, vividly sung . . . Whatever the style, McClelland finds lucid and evocative solutions to the challenges posed by the poems.

Product Description
"The Revenge of Hamish," new choral works by William McClelland, has received high praise from critic Donald Rosenberg in July, 2004's "Gramophone" Magazine: "Vivid music, vividly sung . . . The music ranges far and wide, embracing everything from Scottish folklorism and pop to many-layered, traditional a cappella writing. Whatever the style, the composer finds lucid and evocative solutions to the poems, all in English, which are set with such skill that it is almost possible to forgo the texts in the booklet . . . The William Appling Singers & Orchestra perform each piece with keen attention to words, blend and phrasing, and the instrumentalists are exceptional advocates for McClelland's appealingly direct manner of expression." Equally enthusiastic is William Zagorski, who writes in the January-February, 2005, issue of "Fanfare" Magazine: "McClelland is fully at home in a multiplicity of styles , and we are treated to a wide range of them on this release--from the tonally ambivalent parallel harmonies of 'Song for the Rainy Season,' the pop-inflections of 'The Ballad of Don and Dan,' the rarefied hymnody (sometimes jazz inflected) of the 'Five Sonnets for Men's Voices' and the ecologically inspired 'Collect Pond,' the symphonic grandeur of 'A Wood,' the offhand counterpoint of 'Wolf Moon,' to the ethnically Scottish flavors of 'The Revenge of Hamish.' Withal, a distinctively American composer's voice emerges, and it is both an imaginative and compelling one . . . Some of this program is a capella. Other numbers offer diverse instrumentations that deftly underscore the subtexts of the poems. In all cases, that point where language ends and music begins is magically blurred. The choral work is excellent and the instrumentalists play with both exactitude and enthusiasm, revealing a composer who is more than worthy of our attentions."

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars An Absolute Must., March 3, 2005

By	Michael Wilkens (Chicago) - See all my reviews

I could not agree more with the other comments about this recording. I also heard several pieces played recently on NPR and was amazed at their beauty and passion. This is a composer that deserves to be heard by a very wide audience. McClelland's skill in setting texts is truly remarkable, and his selection of poetry is flawless. The performances and the recording are both on a very, very high level. Anyone lover of serious and intelligent yet accessible music should definitely get this.

5 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Simply Superb, February 11, 2005

By	Daniel Unger (California) - See all my reviews

There was a very good review for this recording in "Fanfare" magazine and it sounded quite interesting. The review didn't do it justice. Some of the pieces here are among the finest choral works I have heard. The texts McClelland uses are mostly American, and the music, while in varying styles, has a pure American voice running through it. This composer understands a beautiful, strong melody without ever resorting to triteness or cliches. In the piece set to a poem by Elizabeth Bishop, "Song for the Rainy Season," he seems to completely capture the description and atmosphere of the text's tropical setting, and the writing for the piano as well as the chorus demonstrates the work of a composer of consummate skill. The love sonnets written for male voices are, in a word, heartrending. The texts are perfection and the musical settings enhance each one, giving you a profound insight into the words. Isn't this, in large part, what choral music is supposed to do? Here is one composer who understands this, a composer who isn't writing just to show off his skills, but is really looking for something much deeper. It's just such intelligent and moving music, music that I keep coming back to. I'm so glad I took a chance on this one.

I couldn't find any other recordings by McClelland, but on the basis of this single CD, he takes his place among the ranks of our most interesting contemporary composers.