- Composer: Barber
- Audio CD (Jun 1 2005)
- SPARS Code: DDD
- Number of Discs: 1
- Label: Nam
- ASIN: B00004T6KQ
- Average Customer Review: 4.2 out of 5 stars See all reviews (9 customer reviews)
- Amazon Bestsellers Rank: #53,322 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)
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Product Details |
Track Listings
| 1. The School For Scandal Ov, Op.5 |
| 2. Sym No.1, Op.9 (in One Mvt): Allegro Ma Noon Troppo |
| 3. Sym No.1, Op.9 (in One Mvt): Allegro Molto |
| 4. Sym No.1, Op.9 (in One Mvt): Andante Tranquillo |
| 5. First Essay, Op.12 |
| 6. Sym No.2, Op.19: Allegro Ma Non Troppo |
| 7. Sym No.2, Op.19: Andante, Un Poco Mosso |
| 8. Sym No.2, Op.19: Presto, Senza Battuto - Allegro Risoluto |
Product Description
From Amazon.co.uk
There's more to Barber than his Adagio for Strings--hijacked by the movies as a universal anthem for wartime angst--so it's great to hear these lesser-known works. His output, particularly the smaller-scale works, offer rich rewards. The overture to Sheridan's witty comedy The School for Scandal is a delightful romp with meandering melodies that conjure up images of wagon trains on the prairie while the haunting expansive theme of the Essay echoes the mood of the Adagio and is not easily forgotten.
Barber's symphonies are somewhat uneven in quality, mainly because of his extensive revisions, and veer from the amazing to the mundane. Alsop and the RSNO create a lustrous sound and the first symphony in particular gives the cracking brass section ample opportunity to show off. It's Sibelian-like qualities couldn't be more different from the second, sounding uncannily like Britten's Peter Grimes written two years earlier in 1942. --Susan Nickalls
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Customer Reviews
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Most helpful customer reviews
4.0 out of 5 stars
A New Champion for the Music of Samuel Barber,
By
This review is from: Symphonies Nos. 1 & 2 (Audio CD)
Marin Alsop is rapidly becoming one of our major conductors: she now holds the post of Principal Conductor of the Bournemouth Symphony in the UK and guest conducts around the world. Fortunately for us she shows a penchant for the music of American composers and for the works of Samuel Barber in particular. In a recent guest conducting appearance with the Los Angeles Philharmonic she brought the audience to their feet with an impassioned, exquisitely detailed, richly romantic reading of the Barber Symphony No. 1. Though everyone knows Barber's near National anthem 'Adagio for Strings', his 'School for Scandal Overture', and his opera 'Vanessa', too few know the brilliance of his Symphonies. Here on one disc Marin Alsop delivers excellent readings of both symphonies in addition to the School for Scandal Overture and the First Essay for Orchestra. Alsop goes for the mighty sweep in Barber's lines, here calling for more power than the Royal Scottish National Orchestra and the recording technicians can deliver. But careful repeated listenings prove that the values abundant here are in place and honored. True, the 'Overture' is less effervescent than with Bernstein or Schippers, but without the rush to the finish line the inner voices are more clear and caressed. The 'First Essay' may not have the immediate impact that Barber's 'Second Essay' has, but Alsop makes the piece sing more strongly than most conductors. Clearly Barber is in her blood and she will doubtless become the preeminent conductor of this important American composer's works. Note: Alsop recently proved that her passionate yet magisterial conducting gifts are not limited to Barber: her Tchaikovsky 'Francesca di Rimini' and her sensitive collaboration with Lang Lang (no easy assignment!) on the Rachmaninoff Piano Concerto No. 2 in her Los Angeles appearance were immensely impressive. This CD is a treasure, especially at this bargain price. And what a fine way to be introduced to Marin Alsop!
3.0 out of 5 stars
Under rehearsed?,
By John B Wolff (Ann Arbor, Michigan, USA) - See all my reviews
This review is from: Symphonies Nos. 1 & 2 (Audio CD)
If you have not heard a bad recording of the School for Scandal, then you have not heard the one superlative recording which is by Thomas Schippers in a collection of Schippers doing short works. This will give one a benchmark for all other perfromances. I find Alsop to be just sloppy about her entire apporach to this short but engaging work. Symphony No. 1 is not a really good performance and leaves much to be desired, especially in the phrasing, or lack thereof, and even in lyrical passages the metronomic tempi are relentless. I don't understand the rare pause...is that phrasing? Throughout the CD, the string sections seem underpowered. More strings would help prevent the sound from being slightly ragged and not warm enough for my taste. Go for Slatkin, and the piano concerto is a great bonus as it is a wonderful performance. The second symphony is somewhat better played, although many of my comments about the first apply here as well. The Second may not have instant appeal for many, but its wonderful values will eventually win you over. The Essay is perfunctory. If you don't know these Barber works, you want it all on one disc, and the price is important, I would buy this rather than not have them to enjoy. I am tough to please, so don't let me discourage you from buying this as it is certainly worth the money. You can get acquainted for a mere seven bucks. Would all recordings be as good even though I can only give it three stars.
5.0 out of 5 stars
wow,
By A Customer
This review is from: Symphonies Nos. 1 & 2 (Audio CD)
Better -- much better -- than you think. Instantly reveals Barber as the major world-class symphonist he is. Performances are powerful, taut, well-executed, punchy and revelatory.Incidental side-thought: What IS the great American symphony? The Barber First? The Piston Fourth? The Copland Third? The Harris Third? The Ives Third? Interesting topic.
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