Walton: Belshazzar's Feast; Bernstein: Chichester Psalms; Missa Brevis

Very passionate performance

"Belshazzar's Feast" is an intense piece that is far from easy listening. The extremely large choirs and orchestra present a fascinating retelling of the Biblical story of King Belshazzar and the writing on the wall. What really makes this recording priceless is Robert Shaw and the ASO. They own this piece from start to finish with flair, depth, passion, and power. You are left wanting even more. Sadly, that is the only Walton on the disc, but the two Bernstein pieces are also moving, though to a lesser degree. The soloists for each piece are amazing, and the performers are incredible. If you are looking for a top-notch recording of this Walton masterpiece, look no further than here. June 4, 2008

William Walton's "Belshazzar"

A wonderful reproduction of an inspiring work. I'd recommend it to any of my friends and acquaintances who enjoy great choral music. October 19, 2007

Outstanding Outlandish Choral Works

Leonard Bernstein and William Walton were diverse composers, utilizing a variety of techniques, not only of their own time, but also from the past. Their most famous large-scale choral works are represented on this disk, works masterfully displaying their individualized styles: Walton's Belshazzar's Feast and Bernstein's Chichester Psalms and Missa Brevis.

Walton's 37-minute oratorio, Belshazzar's Feast, is scored for large orchestra, including saxophone, two additional brass bands, a multitude of percussion (slapstick, anvil, castanets, xylophone, etc.), piano, organ, as well as a double chorus and baritone soloist. The text conveys the story of the Babylonian captivity and King Belshazzar/Nebuchadnezzar. The work features stunning choral writing, seen at the outstart for a cappella choir which first sets the scene and mood. The action moves to the pagan feast of King Belshazzar and their worshipping of heathen idols, an orgiastic musical setting of great invention. The famous "handwriting on the wall" is proclaimed by the baritone soloist, before a joyous exaltation of Alleluia's directed to the end of Israel's captivity. A great variety of choral writing is implemented throughout, including both orchestral and a cappella settings; lush chorales, grand fugues, and everything inbetween; all very difficult to perform, occasional colorings of dissonance, polytonality, and "English"-isms, and colorful, dramatic, music. Of interest, is the orgiastic feast praising the various metallurgical gods (featuring the outlandish orchestration) and the unashamedly English sounding, joyous conclusion. My love of this oratorio is unparalleled, intimate musical settings vs. extroverted, and is well programmed with the Bernstein compositions.

Commissioned for the Cathedral of Chichester, the Dean asked for something which would bring the spirit of West Side Story to a religious perspective. Chichester Psalms is just that and more. The text is from Psalms, but sung in Hebrew, and unusual choice for an English cathedral. After a forceful, angular, dissonant introduction, a whimsical dance is taken up in 7/4 time, sometimes forceful, other times light, altogether it is a riot. The second movement features, on this recording, a solo counter-tenor; a beautiful and emotional musical rendering, the simplicity of the harmonic movement and subtle jazz inflections, and scoring for women's voices is breathtaking. A frantic patter song takes over and eventually the two contrasting textures overlap. A re-orchestrated version of the opening begins the 3rd movement, angular and dissonant. But a peacefully flowing melody, first heard in men's voices with not-so subtle chromatic shifting of harmonies, brings the work to an uplifting close. Scored for large orchestra, Bernstein also dramatically shifts between outlandishly grandiose to simple intimate settings of orchestra and voice; a master of drama, this choral work is a sentimental and moving choral work. The unusual Missa Brevis, "Short Mass", also by Bernstein, was music originally written for a drama about Joan of Arc. The music is ancient and medieval sounding, rather transparent, scored for chorus, solo counter-tenor, and percussion only, the medieval rhythms and modern polytonality create quite a unique work. Both works are about 19 minutes long.

These highly dramatic and unique compositions by Leonard Bernstein and William Walton for chorus and large orchestra are masterfully performed by the Atlanta Symphony Orchestra and Chorus under Robert Shaw. The astounding Telarc sonics make every orchestral voice and every vocal sound (text and tone) sound exceedingly clear. In addition, there is a feeling of unbridled passion which bristles throughout these works. While in the scheme of musical history these may seem minor works, they have grown to become my favorites; a great recommendation for some different, superb, dramatic choral works and performances. March 31, 2006

One of Shaw's finest

A label on this CD proclaims "Grammy winner" (1990, Best Choral Performance). This disc definitely earned it.

Obviously, the main attraction is "Belshazzar's Feast," which here gets one of its finest recordings. Everyone rises to the occasion: the recording is incredibly well-detailed, with dozens of tiny little nuances missing in other recordings (the drum beat in the final "Sing aloud to the God of Jacob," to mention but one), and nearly flawless diction and intonation from the chorus.

The CD then adds two additional works by Bernstein, both of which receive noteworthy recordings here. Shaw's performance of the first, "Chichester Psalms", amply demonstrates its heritage in Bernstein's musicals (the first movement is from an abandoned musical, and the second a discarded chorus from "West Side Story"), while the second, the "Missa Brevis," receives its world premiere recording (and possibly its only recording).

In short: if you are a fan of Walton, Bernstein, or Shaw, you should definitely enjoy this disc. November 26, 2005

The second best recording

There is much to like here. The diction and execution and marvelous. The hushed passages are amazing.

Yet, I rank this below the Previn RPO recording of several decades ago. In that recording the complexity of the structure becomes greater than the sum of the parts, and the ending will make you want to dance (it is after all a dance movement at heart).

Since the Previn is out of print, this recording is the way to go.

Chichester Psalms, by the way, has not had a more brilliant recording. This is vibrant, stunning, and thoughtful.



July 1, 2005

More reviews at Amazon.com ...