S. Barber - Orchestral Works 2 - COMPACT DISCS [CD]

Bear McCreary - So Say We All (Battlestar Galactica Live) [COMPACT DISCS] date 06/05/2026

This latest installment in Marin Alsop's enjoyable Barber series for Naxos kicks off with a fine performance of the gorgeous Violin Concerto' notable for it's easy spontaneity and unforced eloquence. Firm of tone and technically secure' James Buswell makes an admirably confident soloist' and Alsop's pliant yet clear-headed conducting is a treat.

Capricorn Concerto • A Hand of Bridge • Intermezzo from Vanessa The music itself is something of a departure for Barber, bandying between playful, insistent baroque textures and a more lyrical, more melodically driven composition, though Barber is still Barber, a melodist and a modernist alike. Allegedly each member of the Capricorn household, Barber, Menotti, and Chip, Menotti's adopted son, is represented with their own individual theme, thematically depicting each of their personalities. The first movement flits between two tempi, Allegro (fast) and Andante con moto (walking speed, but with motion), and is cast in a rondo form, with development being the driving force, Barber's spotless compositional technique on full display. The second movement is playful, save for one tranquil passage, favored by a boisterous line for plucked viola, while the final movement, Barber's most direct homage to Bach, features a trumpet fanfare in it's spirited midst.