Bliss: Morning Heroes / Hymn to Apollo
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SIR ARTHUR BLISS
Bliss: Morning Heroes / Hymn to Apollo
Samuel West (orator) / BBC Symphony Chorus and Orchestra, Sir Andrew Davis
[ Chandos Classics SACD / Hybrid SACD ]
Release Date: Friday 16 October 2015
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Sir Andrew Davis here conducts the BBC Symphony Chorus and Orchestra in works by Sir Arthur Bliss, with Samuel West as orator.
The disc was recorded after a remarkable performance of Morning Heroes at the Barbican in May 2015, The Guardian praising the 'excellent' Samuel West, and Davis who 'got [the] mood exactly right, and both the orchestra and chorus did everything that he asked of them… [producing] a convincingly symphonic shape'. 'One of the finest British choral works of its time,' it concluded, this work is 'now not heard as often as it deserves.'
The piece is coupled with the Hymn to Apollo, recorded here for the first time in its original 1926 version. Bliss said that this work of wistful sadness, anguish, and anger 'moves like a procession of supplicants'. Like many of his works, Morning Heroes and Hymn to Apollo were composed as a tribute to his brother Kennard who had died on the front during WWI. Both works were premiered in the 30's to immediate success but have been rather neglected since then.
"This is a splendid disc. The performance standard is extremely high and Ralph Couzens' engineering is excellent. Similarly excellent are the notes by Andrew Burn. Bliss devotees should acquire this as a matter of urgency and other collectors are strongly urged to hear this eloquent musical commemoration of the fallen of World War I. On this evidence Sir Andrew Davis appears to be a doughty champion of Bliss. I hope he may record more of his music in the future: might we hope, at last, for a modern recording of The Beatitudes?" (Recording of the Month MusicWeb Oct 2015)
"this new recording is a revelation for its clarity (notably of the composer's vivid orchestral palette and imaginative choral writing), coherence and sheer emotional intensity" (Gramophone Award Nomination 2016 - Choral)
Tracks:
Morning Heroes*
Hymn to Apollo (original version)
