CD REVIEW
– FUCHS
0RCHESTRAL WORKS, VOL.2
SINFONIA OF LONDON JOHN WILSON
Chandos
CHSA 5326 [TT 72:49]
'
Initially,
congratulations to John Wilson
and his world-class orchestra on
their 'Oklahoma' album
winning the BBC Music Magazine's
Opera Award and scooping the
Orchestral Award with their disc
of works by Vaughan Williams,
Howells, Delius and Elgar, which
then went on to also win
Recording of the Year.
JW's first foray
into contemporary classical music
was 'Fuchs Orchestral Works,
Vol.1' (CHSA 5296) that did
not get reviewed here as I
thought at the time it would not
be of interest. But having since
heard that Jools Holland loves
the classics as much as jazz and
blues and that George Shearing
was an opera buff, who am I to
decide our readers likes or
dislikes?
Kenneth Fuchs (b
1956) is a Grammy Award-winning
American composer. The magazine
mentioned above has opined that
he "writes tonal orchestral
music of great imagination.
He’s a master of orchestral
writing."
This album opens
with 'Light Year'
(2022-24) Suite for Orchestra,
inspired by six of Helen
Frankenthaler's paintings,
composed specially for John
Wilson and the Sinfonia of
London. It is the first of four
premiere recordings and is
followed by 'Eventide'
(2023), a Concerto for Alto
Saxophone, Percussion, Harp,
Celeste and String Orchestra. The
featured soloist is the
celebrated champion of
contemporary music, Timothy
McAllister.
James Buckle, who
at the age of 23 became the only
brass player in history to win
the Royal Over-Seas League Gold
Medal, is the soloist on the 'Bass
Trombone Concerto',
expressly composed in 2018 for a
consortium of 20 bass trombonists
and ensembles.
The final work is
'Point of Tranquility'
(2021), an Idyll for Winds,
Strings and Percussion originally
written for wind band in 2017 and
subsequently adapted for full
orchestra, as recorded here.
The playing is
impeccable as are the recordings
made during 2022 and 2023 with
the first work as recently as
January 8th this year
(incidentally, my 88th birthday).
There are helpful liner notes by
Guy Rickards.
Although I do not
find this music as immediately
appealing as JW and others
obviously do, Chandos have kindly
sent me a promotional copy and I
am prepared to take the time
getting to know it better.
Interested readers are advised,
if they are able, to sample it
free online.
©
Peter Burt, May 2024
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