Ahmed E. Ismail's profile

Atmosphere, atmosphere, atmosphere, Oct 26 2003

Like all major modern composers, there's a certain arbitrariness to one's reception of Adams's music. You'll either like it or you won't: there's just not that much middle ground.

Personally, I like most of what I've heard by Adams, and what disappointments and reservations I have are the result of the way it's been packaged. For example, I enjoy "Naive and Sentimental Music"; I just wish I didn't have to pay full price for a 45-minute CD.

Those reservations don't really carry over to the present disc (except for the lack of information about track lengths anywehre in the packaging, and the lack of texts for "The Wound-Dresser"). Don't be distracted or bothered by… Read more

The "new" best VW Symphony 8, Jan 3 2003

In a review of Haitink's RVW Symphonies 8 and 9 on EMI, I said that they were the best, "for now." The 8th has been finally outclassed--by a performance from 1967!

That this recording is by Barbirolli should not be too much of a surprise, as he was in fact the symphony's dedicatee, and a favorite conductor of Vaughan Williams himself. There is a natural rapport between the two, which allows Barbirolli to go beneath the surface of the music, and find the deeper meanings not at first evident on the page.

The first movement of the symphony is stately in its grandeur, like other recordings, yet even at its triumphant climax, the music still feels somewhat restrained. This same… Read more

Not for everyday listening, I think, Jan 2 2003

It seems that my first review was not as successful as I would have liked in expressing my concerns with the CD, so I will try again.

Goerne's technique is practically flawless with respect to intonation, diction, and stamina. Moreover, the sound is as gorgeous as any performance of this piece I've ever heard. However, the problem is that some of his tempo choices do not work. The basic tempos he chooses are so untenable that the listener either loses interest because they are too slow, or can't keep up because they are too fast. Nowhere so is this more apparent than in the finale. "Des Baches Wiegenlied" is usually performed in six minutes; it here takes nine, and each verse gets… Read more