The Turnage SACD is one of the finest in the LPO series. It consists entirely of provocative, often powerful music by one of Britain's leading composers, Mark Anthony Turnage, all four works recorded on different dates. These are all premiere recordings, and two (When I Woke & Yet Another Set To) are world premieres as well. Evening Songs is the earliest (1998), followed by When I Woke (2001), Scherzoid (2004), and Yet Another Set To(2005). High energy marks most of Turnage's music, and for me the highpoint here is Yet Another Set To which began as a work for ten brass players and ended up, at the request of Christian Lindberg, as a rather astounding trombone concerto. This is played in spectacular fashion by Lindberg with Marin Alsop in total command of the intricate rhythmic patterns. Scherzoid was inspired by the scherzo from Beethoven's Ninth Symphony. The other two works find Turnage in a more settled mood. Performances throughout are excellent and the 5.1 surround sound effective, crisp and clear.

The Janacek collection also is commendable. It features a little-known cantata The Eternal Gospel as well as two brief symphonic poems and a 21-minute suite The Excursions of Mr. Broucek which actually is drawn from two satirical Janacek operas: The Excursions of Mr. Broucek to the Moon and The Excursions of Mr. Broucek to the Fifteenth Century, both written over a period of ten years beginning in 1908. The final two movements (Song of the Hussites and Procession of the Victors) contain strong traces of Taras Bulba composed during the same period, and Sinfonietta which followed in 1926. Young Israeli conductor Ilan Volkov obviously understands the Janacek idiom, and the orchestra plays well. In spite of their British names, both soloists in Gospel, have more Slavic wobble in their vocal production than I care to hear. The recording was made in Caird Hall, Dundee with recording engineer Simon Eadon and producer Andrew Keener. They have produced a very clear and bright sound with fine left/right placement and little use of other channels except for modest ambience. Complete texts are provided.

Telarc's SACD is a beauty. The two featured works here were commissioned by the Atlanta Symphony and both easily could become staples in the chorus/orchestra repertory. Christopher Theofanidis based The Here and Now on poetry by 13th-century Persian-born Rumi, whose writings are highly regarded by seekers of widsom. From these texts, Theofanidis has written 13 choral songs in various moods, challenging both for the chorus and orchestra, but not for audiences. Three of the sections feature a baritone soloist, Brett Polegato, and one features a soprano/tenor duet, here sung by Hila Plitmann and Richard Clement. For his choral work, Del Tredici's used Longfellow's complete poem "Paul Revere's Ride." It was the composer's reaction to the 9/11 tragedy; Del Tredici related Revere's heroism of 1775 to that shown by thousands in the 2001 devastation. The work was composed with soprano Plitmann in mind, and she is featured in the recording. Orchestration is imaginative in both works, particularly Ride, which is scorred for lots of percussion including fire sirens. Bernstein's Lamentation is an appropriate filler. Telarc's engineering team did a splendid job, vividly capturing rich, sonorous sounds of both chorus and orchestra. Complete texts are provided. An outstanding SACD!

R.E.B. (February 2006)

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