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Samuel Barber: Orchestral Works, Vol.2
 
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Samuel Barber: Orchestral Works, Vol.2

~ Wendy Warner (Cello), Samuel Barber (Composer), Marin Alsop (Conductor), Royal Scottish National Orchestra (Orchestra)
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Product details

  • Orchestra: Royal Scottish National Orchestra
  • Conductor: Marin Alsop
  • Composer: Samuel Barber
  • Audio CD (29 Jan 2001)
  • SPARS Code: DDD
  • Number of Discs: 1
  • Label: Naxos
  • ASIN: B000058USE
  • Other Editions: MP3 Download
  • Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)
  • Amazon.co.uk Sales Rank: 34,809 in Music (See Bestsellers in Music)

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    #63 in  Music > Classical Instrumental > Orchestral > Concertos > Strings

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1. Cello Concerto, Op.22
2. Medea Ballet Suite, Op.23
3. Adagio for Strings, Op.11
On this CD:
  1. Concerto for Cello and Orchestra
    Composed by Samuel Barber
    Performed by Royal Scottish National Orchestra
    with Wendy Warner
    Conducted by Marin Alsop

  2. Medea
    Composed by Samuel Barber
    Performed by Royal Scottish National Orchestra
    Conducted by Marin Alsop

  3. Adagio for Strings
    Composed by Samuel Barber
    Performed by Royal Scottish National Orchestra
    Conducted by Marin Alsop

Product Description

BBC Music Magazine

Barber's Cello Concerto of 1945 hasn't won as prominent a position in the repertoire as his Violin Concerto, but anyone who relishes the cogency and expressive power of the latter will appreciate the former, too. Admittedly it is not a piece that wears its heart on its sleeve, but its busy opening movement and spiky finale surround a delicately vulnerable Andante whose emotional content is eloquently direct. Soloist Wendy Warner could do with a more lavish tone in places, but her playing is technically spotless and finely attuned to the work's elusive character.

The 1946-7 ballet score Medea (written for Martha Graham's Cave of the Heart) is more extrovert, though its post-Stravinskian language helps maintain an objectivity towards its violent subject that prevents any lapses into melodrama. Its wayward lyricism and obsessive patterns are finely realised by the RSNO, while conductor Marin Alsop shows a keen sensitivity to both scores and balances their rhetoric with the clean-edged clarity of their textures. In addition, her performance of the now-ubiquitous Adagio for Strings is a model of restraint, proving the saying that less equals more. Attractive sound, with a wide range and plenty of definition.

Performance ****
Sound ****

© BBC Music Magazine 2001

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6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars Superb, 16 April 2007
Barber's cello concerto of 1945 remains one of the finest composed for the instrument of the last century, and its popularity continues to grow after initial neglect. The reason for its neglect is probably its extreme difficulty, but with the current generation of super-virtuosos the music is slowly taking its rightful place in the repertory. And what music it is! Considered by Barber and many music critics as one of his most successful scores, the cello concerto contains some of Barber's most beautiful and invigorating writing - all the hallmarks of Barber's style are here: the rich tonal harmony, the rhythmic complexity, the taughtness of architectural structure and the poignent, searching lyricism. The cello sings consistently high above the orchestra with aching passion. Anyone who has any liking for 20th century music should hear this piece. It is exactly between the ravishing beauty of the violin concerto and the powerful drive of the piano concerto.

As to the recording, this one is without a doubt the finest on record. The brilliant young Canadian cellist Wendy Warner has played this piece more than just about anyone, and she understands its dark lyricism and passionate tone better than any of her more famous rivals. This is the first 'great' recording of this work, though Yo-Yo Ma, Gastinel and Nelsova are worth hearing for various reasons. The recordings by Garbousova, Wallfisch, Vogler, Rose, Tobias and Kirschbaum are all servicable, and some are certainly better than others, but none impressed me as much as the Warner. The support that Alsop and the Royal Scottish National Orchestra is absolutely world class and the recording is astonishingly clear.

The Medea Ballet Suite of 1947 is another of Barber's strongest works and also won great critical acclaim, notably from the notoriously ascerbic Virgil Thomson, who said of it (in his typically guarded style): 'it brings its author suspiciously close to the clear status of a master'. It is a powerful and moving work, even as pure concert music - it juxtaposes harshly dissonant 'modern' harmoy with Barber's trademark lyricism - it is reminiscent of Stravinsky's own early Ballet music, especially the Firebird. It is good to have the whole suite presented here rather than the more commonly presented shorter movement which Barber crafted out of the last three movements of the suite. There is much beautiful woodwind writing that is lost in the cut down version. Again Alsop and the Royal Scottish give a passionate and involving reading that provides great advocacy for this also underplayed work.

The final piece on the CD is the famous Adagio for Strings, which is an arrangement of the slow movement of the string quartet. This is so famous that it is barely worth commenting on, but Alsop gives a flowing, but not fast, reading that is quite welcome after the indulgences of many versions. Not the best recording of this popular classic, but a very fine reading nonetheless.

All in all a superb CD, and at budget price, anyone who has any interest in 20th century music would be a fool to miss it. Another winner from Naxos!
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