Eric Whitacre: Cloudburst and Other Choral Works
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CD Details
Edition: Music CDFormat: Import
CD Release Date: 2006-02-14
Music Label: Hyperion UK
Soundtracks:
- i thank You God for most this amazing day (1999, TEXT: e.e. cummings)
- I Hide Myself
- Sleep
- I Will Wade Out
- Go, Lovely Rose
- hope, faith, life, love (1999, TEXT: e.e. cummings)
- Hope, Faith, Life, Love
- Cloudburst
- With A Lily On Your Hand
- This Marriage
- A Boy and a Girl (2002, TEXT: Octavio Paz)
- A Boy And A Girl
- Her Sacred Spirit Soars
Music reviews of Eric Whitacre: Cloudburst and Other Choral Works
Music Review: A Gorgeous Hit- - If You Think About It Correctly
Rating: 4 Stars
Like many other reviewers, I had experienced Whitacre on the BYU recording before I finally became (well, not exactly tired) but willing to experiment with a new perspective. So I bought this CD. I'm glad I did. As a singer in a small ensemble, it's nice to hear what a smaller group can do.
"i thank you god"-- You can hear their British-ness right off. This doesn't hurt their performance, though. I like the soloist on this, more than the BYU one. And their dynamics are supurb. The ending was especially surprising: it's interesting to hear all the inner parts play together.
"i hide myself"-- a singer in a strict choir, I was satisfied to hear a nice loud "h" on "hide." Several times, though, they weren't quite together: listen carefully to "and angels." I liked the phrasing, especially on "I hide myself within my flower." It was a good choice; it sounds as though they are rushing back to their flower.
"Sleep"-- I'm biased on this one. I did it for the 2006 GA All-State Choir. This recording reaches a happy medium between the extreme rubato of the BYU Choir and the speed-singing my All-State Choir. Wonderful! This piece is very difficult (due to the long phrases), and Polyphony does a great job (although no one ever does exactly what I want to hear on "fightning shadow, flickering light")
"i will made out"- the "angularness" the front booklet talks about scared me the first time I heard it. The first line is so sharp it could cut. And their British-ness is soooo clear. Also, the vibrato of the beginning (in the women) sounds great, but the smooth tone of the rest of the song doesn't fit with it. All or nothing, please.
"Go, Lovely Rose"-- Not the best song on the CD, I have to admit. I don't know exactly what it is, but it rubs me the wrong way. It's beautiful, though.
"When David Heard"-- I agree with the others who said Layton does take some places too fast, but think of it this way: Polyphony only has 22 memebers (or so). They cannot hold their phrases as long as the 80 member BYU choir can. Some of the parts are just angelic: the women at 5:48 catch my attention, every time. Although I prefer BYU, this one is still gorgeous.
"hope, faith, life, love" -- Not outstanding. I like their dynamics. And the soprano at :44 doesn't catch in her throat like someone does on the BYU recording.
"Cloudburst"-- Even though the CD is named after this track, I honestly don't like it that much. In the beginning, I feel as though their pitch tries to sag when their melting together again. The base soloist isn't great. I like how he reads his lines, though. And they're speaking Spanish like Brits.
"With a lily in your hand" -- I like the difference between the real words and the "la la," although sometimes it sounds much like "luh luh." And I feel like they're rushing "tamer of dark butterflies, I keep along my way." I do like their mature sound on this, though. Wagnerian chorus alert at the end.
"This Marriage"-- Bravo! Simply lush! I had the thought several times as I listened that I wanted to play this at my wedding. I did think the "ah" and "oo" at the end was a little cheesy, though.
"Water Night"-- I really wanted the sopranoes to sing "water" with a wider vowel. "Wah-ter" instead of "Wooa-ter", or however the Brits say it. And due to their small number, some parts ("eyes of shadow-water," etc) seemed a little sparse.
"A Boy and A Girl"-- as a writer, I found the imagery so sad! (First sweet, then sour, then death) As a musician, I found the close chords amazing. It is so difficult to keep in pitch when you are a note away from someone.
"Her Sacred Spirit Soars"-- I liked the phrasing of the double choirs, and the constant rise and fall. I rather think this replaces the sweeping drama of "Leonardo" on the CD; they didn't need two dramatic works. The men's part on "is heaven's quickning fire but a ruse" reminded me of the pentultimate part of "Leonardo."
"Lux aurumque"-- So calm, so quiet. The beginning is gorgeous. I love the soloist, the way she turned her part and then backed away. "Gravis" shocks the ear somewhat after the subtlely of the beginning; I wish they'd not gotten quite so carried away.
All in all, a great CD. It's interesting to hear the new choices. My advice would be to buy and listen to the BYU recording and this recording at the same time (well, not simultaniously playing them, but listen to them back-to-back for the first time ever), because I am a bit biased. Get 'em.
Description of Eric Whitacre: Cloudburst and Other Choral Works
At the age of only 35, Eric Whitacre has already gained a phenomenal reputation in the United States. The Los Angeles Times described his music as having ?electric, chilling harmonies; works of unearthly beauty and imagination? and his Water Night (included on this new recording) has become one of the most popular choral works of the last decade, and is one of the top-selling choral publications of all time.Eric Whitacre is one of the leading lights of the choral music scene. The 14 text-centered, emotionally-charged works on this well-filled disc suggest why. Outwardly conservative, his music is full of fascinating harmonic explorations, dynamic shifts, and rhythmic nuances that make them fun to sing and absorbing to listen to. The texts are drawn from poets of the stature of e.e. cummings, Octavio Paz, Garcia Lorca, and Emily Dickinson, among others. And they pack emotional power, as in When David Heard, whose Biblical text is illuminated by powerful tiered dynamics. He?s adept at tonal contrasts as well, the soaring sopranos in Sleep have their counterparts in a firm bass line. In Cloudburst he adds piano and percussion to the unaccompanied chorus to dramatic effect, and in some works, such as Cummings' "hope, faith, life, love" he chooses to set only a handful of the poem's text, with harmonic movements and other unexpected twists focusing attention. The fine English chorus, Polyphony, is at their best here, clearly relishing the inventiveness of the music, and the sound is from Hyperion's top drawer. --Dan Davis
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