Wold: A Little Girl Dreams of Taking the Veil

Erling Wold (Composer), Deirdre McClure (Conductor), Ken Berry Rachel Wylie (Performer), Tod Brody (Performer), Melissa Vainio (Performer), Fred Morgan (Performer), Marja Mutru (Performer), Ellen Rose (Performer), Deborah Gwinn (Performer), Jim Cave (Performer) | Format: Audio CD

Product Details

• Performer: Ken Berry Rachel Wylie, Tod Brody, Melissa Vainio, Fred Morgan, Marja Mutru, et al.
• Conductor: Deirdre McClure
• Composer: Erling Wold
• Audio CD (October 15, 2002)
• Number of Discs: 1
• Label: MinMax
• ASIN: B000077DDV
• Average Customer Review: 4.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #781,458 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)

Track Listings

1. Introduction

2. Academy of Science

3. The Tenebreuse

4. First Prayer and Tenebreuse 2

5. The Hair

6. Second Prayer

7. Second Sleep

8. Knife 1

9. Knife 2

10. Celestial Bridegroom

Editorial Reviews

Erling Wold’s "unique, breathtaking, and thoroughly unflawed" (Progression Magazine) chamber opera, "A Little Girl Dreams of Taking the Veil," has been highly acclaimed. The San Francisco Chronicle writes that "what keeps it all together, finally, is Wold’s beautiful, moody score, a fluent succession of vivid dramatic strokes and gentle minimalist thrumming." Progression Magazine finds that "the performers shine, the music provokes, the mind engages, and it gets a perfect rating." And the San Francisco Bay Guardian comments that "Wold’s lovely score" provides "a beguiling evening."

Based on a Max Ernst 1930s surrealist novel which explores the world of religious ecstasy and erotic desire, "Little Girl" interweaves the events of a girl’s dream the night before she is about to enter a convent with a surrealist narrative about the circumstances surrounding the dream. This CD features conductor Deirdre McClure and a seven-piece ensemble of flute, clarinet, horn, percussion, piano, viola and cello in a widely celebrated production, which has played to sold-out audiences in the US and Europe.

One of the San Francisco Bay Area’s most dynamic composers, Wold has been hailed as "the Eric Satie of Berkeley surrealist/minimalist electro-artrock" by the Village Voice.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars hypnotic, March 27, 2003

By 

ludmilla (San Francisco) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Wold: A Little Girl Dreams of Taking the Veil (Audio CD)

Layers of lovely melodies conjure up dreamy images, and complex emotions in this gorgeous opera. I listen to this CD again and again, and still find more beautiful moments in the music with each listening.

4.0 out of 5 stars beautiful and haunting, January 3, 2006

By 

Lynne Rutter "ornamentalist" (San Francisco, CA USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Wold: A Little Girl Dreams of Taking the Veil (Audio CD)

I was fortunate to have seen this opera performed in San Francisco a few years ago, and this is still one of my favorite albums. The music is rich, dreamlike, and at times exhilarating.

5.0 out of 5 stars Rachael Wylie is amazing., January 31, 2005

By 

David Reese (Oberlin, Ohio) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Wold: A Little Girl Dreams of Taking the Veil (Audio CD)

This album features soprano Rachael Wylie, who has one of the most beautiful voices I've ever heard. That alone is well worth the price of this cd.