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Posted: |
Jun 9, 2014 - 7:09 PM
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By: |
David-R.
(Member)
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Miklos Rozsa
Label: Intrada MAF 7134
Date: 1959 / 1961
Time: 0:49:12
Tracks: 13
In modest departure for Intrada's Excalibur Collection, we stay ostensibly with film scores by Miklos Rozsa but travel into his original choral writing domain. Project is a favorite of our conductor, Allan Wilson, encompassing twelve choral presentations drawn from Ben-Hur and King Of Kings.
In modest departure for Intrada's Excalibur Collection, we stay ostensibly with film scores by Miklos Rozsa but travel into his original choral writing domain. Project is a favorite of our conductor, Allan Wilson, encompassing twelve choral presentations drawn from Ben-Hur and King Of Kings, prepared for public performance by school, church choirs, albeit not necessarily intended for performances of all twelve at once. Intrada release is first in decades to feature entire cycle. Most were arranged by Rozsa shortly after respective films were relased (1959, 1961), published by Robbins Music, publishing arm of MGM, with all of them scored for chorus plus either piano or organ. In this recording, organ is heard. Two include then newly-composed material: "The Mother's Love", "The Sermon On The Mount", making them of particular interest. Rozsa made no attempt to literally transcribe his orchestral sonorities into these pieces, rather he exploited colors, ideas best represented in choral terms. Fun to note this present recording came about after Intrada premiered Rozsa's The Red House, where chorus was needed in certain key sequences. Working with conductor Wilson, producers Paul Wing, Paul Talkington, it was natural to engage superb singers of Westminster Cathedral. That fortuitous relationship led to current choral recordings. In addition to "The Twelve Choruses", Intrada CD features incredibly complex original Rozsa choral work, drawn from text of "The Twenty-Third Psalm, Op. 34." This remains one of Rozsa's most challenging choral pieces, with multiple tonal centers, challenging rhythmic material maintaining interest throughout. Notes by Frank DeWald, conductor Allan Wilson, engineer Niall Acott. George Castle plays organ. Allan Wilson, George castle conduct Winchester Cathedral Chamber Choir. Beautiful music results!
01. The Christ Theme – From Ben-Hur 2:27
02. Star of Bethlehem – From Ben-Hur 2:10
03. The Nativity – From King of Kings 2:29
04. The Kings of Bethlehem 5:28
05. Adoration of the Magi – From Ben-Hur 2:03
06. Blessed Mary – From King of Kings 2:17
07. The Mother’s Love – From Ben-Hur 4:16
08. The Prayer of Our Lord – From King of Kings 2:32
09. The Sermon on the Mount – From King of Kings 4:49
10. The Way of the Cross – From King of Kings 4:44
11. Pietà – From King of Kings 5:32
12. King of Kings Theme – From King of Kings 2:53
13. The Twenty-Third Psalm, Op. 34† 7:08
http://store.intrada.com/s.nl/it.A/id.8814/.f?sc=13&category=-113
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We'll, I'm certainly going to buy this, and I'm always happy to welcome a new recording of Rozsa.
That said, the presence of the Psalm piece makes me wish that instead of the 12 Choruses -- which have at least been released, in their first recording, on CD -- Intrada had coupled the 23rd Psalm with Rozsa's major Ecclesiastes choral opus, "To Everything There is a Season," which has appeared on at least 2 LP's but to date not a single CD. Perhaps next time, guys?
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I agree, but this is a great release. And it seems Wilson was genuinely invested in all this Rozsa material. I've been loving this past year since The Red House!
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Lord, have mercy!
The Lord is my Shepherd.
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Looks fantastic, great music.
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This is undoubtedly the most Christian thing I will ever buy, but "The Mother's Love" is a particular favorite and the arrangement here sounds hauntingly beautiful.
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This is undoubtedly the most Christian thing I will ever buy, but "The Mother's Love" is a particular favorite and the arrangement here sounds hauntingly beautiful.
Well, 'The Mother's Love' is as you know an ancient Yemenite Hebrew tune, and it's there to represent the Jewish tradition.
The original title was,
'The Story of Christ in Song: Twelve Short Choruses from the Films 'Ben-Hur' and 'King of Kings' for Churches of All Denominations' (!!!!!).
This is an excellent idea for a release, and it keeps these adaptations within their original contexts, as church pieces. Had Rozsa written them for orchestral accompaniments, he'd 've written different pieces.
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The Rozsa completist in terms of content, should, if he's not already familiar with the older release, note that some pieces are completely reworked adaptations from those in the films, and 'The Sermon on the Mount' has totally new extensions, far longer than the film version, to include the complete text of the Beatitudes.
And there's the 23rd Psalm, Opus 34, a complete choral work in the concert oeuvre.
'Kings of Bethlehem' is a piece not known from films, an adaptation of a Hungarian Xmas carol poem.
This is the cathedral where the Saxon kings of England were crowned. Atmosphere.
N.B. At time of typing this, the 'Lord's Prayer' link is wrong: it links to the '23rd. Psalm' instead. I think Doug & Co. have been informed, so that may change.
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