North Star
Trumpet-and-organ in accord
View record and artist detailsRecord and Artist Details
Composer or Director: James MacMillan, Robin (Greville) Holloway, Diana Burrell, Ruth Byrchmore, John Hawkins, Huw Watkins, Rhian Samuel
Genre:
Chamber
Label: Deux-Elles
Magazine Review Date: 9/2006
Media Format: CD or Download
Media Runtime: 71
Mastering:
Stereo
DDD
Catalogue Number: DXL1097
Tracks:
Composition | Artist Credit |
---|---|
Three Orations |
Huw Watkins, Composer
Deborah Calland, Trumpet Huw Watkins, Composer William Whitehead, Organ |
North Star |
Diana Burrell, Composer
Deborah Calland, Trumpet Diana Burrell, Composer William Whitehead, Organ |
Wedding Introit |
James MacMillan, Composer
James MacMillan, Composer William Whitehead, Organ |
White Note Paraphrase |
James MacMillan, Composer
James MacMillan, Composer William Whitehead, Organ |
Gaudeamus in loci pace |
James MacMillan, Composer
James MacMillan, Composer William Whitehead, Organ |
Threnody with Fanfares |
Rhian Samuel, Composer
Deborah Calland, Trumpet Rhian Samuel, Composer William Whitehead, Organ |
Into the Silent Land |
Ruth Byrchmore, Composer
Deborah Calland, Trumpet Ruth Byrchmore, Composer William Whitehead, Organ |
Sortie |
John Hawkins, Composer
Deborah Calland, Trumpet John Hawkins, Composer William Whitehead, Organ |
Canzona and Toccata |
Robin (Greville) Holloway, Composer
Deborah Calland, Trumpet Robin (Greville) Holloway, Composer William Whitehead, Organ |
Author: Jonathan Freeman-Attwood
Far from a heavy-going recital of an unfashionable duo medium (at least in this country), Calland and the prize-winning organist William Whitehead seek out vibrancy of timbre and a definition of character rarely achieved in reverberant buildings, where the best organs tend to reside. Only the beginning of Diana Burrell’s North Star lacks the ideal focus, though its sparkling constellations are dynamically conveyed; this is bound to become a successful concert piece. The moving juxtaposition of ominous fanfares and tombeau-laden gestures in Rhian Samuel’s Threnody with Fanfares is performed with a keen ear for its skilful juxtaposition of vulnerability and assertiveness.
Crystalline immediacy in Douai Abbey and a sense of intimacy (relayed with special contemplative warmth in James MacMillan’s initial forays into organ music) allows Whitehead to present the two solo organ works with his highly accomplished sense of pacing. The second, Into the Silent Land by Ruth Byrchmore, is a laterally conceived and evocative work (though a little too long). Whitehead’s control of tension is exceptional.
The piece de resistance is Holloway’s challenging Canzona and Toccata which reveals a close interaction between the performers, Calland’s imploring upper reaches (perhaps her tone is generally less settled in the lower register) and highly effective recorded sound.
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