Various - Heart Chamber - COMPACT DISCS [CD]

Premiered by the Hallé under Sir John Barbirolli in 1953, the Sinfonia antartica originated in Vaughan Williams' score for the film 'Scott of the Antarctic'. With a highly original scoring (including solo soprano, wordless women's chorus, organ, piano and extensive percussion section), the work depicts the struggle of man over nature, as epitomized in Captain Scott's ill-fated expedition to the South Pole. The symphony is characterized with heroic themes, evocative orchestral effects and music which is at turns emotive and powerful. In contrast the Ninth Symphony depicts the more philosophical challenges of mankind. Initially receiving a lukewarm reception it has come to be seen as a work imbued with what Vaughan Williams authority Michael Kennedy described as 'a new richness of sound'. This enigmatic work is scored for standard orchestral forces, with the addition of saxophones and flugelhorn which add orchestral color. This was the composer's last symphony and was premiered just four months before his death in 1958. In construction it stands as the culmination of his compositional career, with elusive and constantly developing themes and evocative depictions of a wide range of emotions. The symphonies are coupled with two orchestral works, Norfolk Rhapsody No.1 and The Lark Ascending, which were previously released as part of an English music mixed composer collection.

Józef Antoni Franciszek Elsner was a composer, music teacher, and music theoretician, active mainly in Warsaw. He was one of the first composers in Poland to weave elements of folk music into his works. Elsner composed many symphonic, chamber, solo, and vocal-instrumental works, and works for the stage, including over 100 religious works (masses, offertorios, oratorios, cantatas), eight symphonies, three concertos, three ballets, and thirty-eight operas. He is perhaps best known as the principal piano teacher of the young composer Frédéric Chopin. This new showcases his chamber music, beautifully performed by a lineup of brilliant Polish musicians.

Among Stephen Dodgson's portfolio of more than 250 works are chamber operas, of which Margaret Catchpole Two Worlds Apart is a most striking example. It is based on the true story of a woman who was convicted of the then capital crime of horse stealing and transported to Australia, and Dodgson conveys the romance and drama of the story with characteristic lyricism and rhythmic energy. Words are paramount for Dodgson, and his setting is vivid, immediate and tonal, with some swaggering rustic moments amidst the precise characterization and idiomatic instrumental writing.