Koss 76 manual American Requiem

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lowing their secret marriage. Elizabeth’s letters to her sister inspired composer Dominick Argento to write these five songs for the wonderful mezzo-soprano Frederica von Stade: Casa Guidi, the

Italian Cook and the English Maid, Robert

Browning, The Death of Mr. Barrett, and

Domesticity.

Fans of “Fricka” will find her again with joy. She has lost none of the immense talent that propelled her to the summit of her art, where she has shone since her beginnings, playing all of the roles most sought after in the opera world.

That is followed by a Capriccio for Clarinet and Orchestra, subtitled Ros- sini in Paris, brilliantly performed by virtuoso clarinetist Burt Hara. It is in point of fact a concerto, a title Argento

72 ULTRA HIGH FIDELITY Magazine

has eschewed by respect for “the” clari- net concerto, the one by Mozart. The movements have the curious titles of Une réjouissance, Une caresse à ma femme and Un petit train du plaisir. Each refers to a composition by Rossini, but they are mere pretexts for development of a “Rossiniesque” ambience of comical verve, fantasy and humor, with a certain touch of romanticism.

The final work, commissioned by the Minnesota Orchestra for its 75th season (in 1977), is titled In Praise of Music: Seven Songs for Orchestra. Each song is inspired by a character, either real or mythical, who awaken in universal fashion feelings inherent in human nature.: David for the healer, Apollo for the god, Pan for the Satyr, Orpheus for the sorrower, Israel for the angel, Cecilia for the saint, and Mozart for the child.

We should not be surprised by the extraordinary performance by Eiji Oue and the Minnesota, whoch have accus- tomed us to excellence.

The sonic quality of this HDCD recording, like those of the Reference Recording that follows, is beyond reproach. We can, I think, speak of the Johnson sound.

American Requiem

Danielpour & Pacific Symph. Orch. RR-97CDRR-97CD

Lessard: The dedication reads, “to the

memory of those who died in the wake of the tragic events of September 11, 2001, and in tribute to the American Soldier — past, present and future.”

To mark the end of his posting as composer in residence with the orchestra in Orange County, California, Richard Danielpour received a commission for a major work for choir and large orchestra. The theme was to be peace, but also man’s relationship with war.

Danielpour admits that, before embarking on this project, he had not the slightest experience of war, and so he booked meetings with veterans of three wars. Listening to them, writing down their experiences, thoughts and feel- ings long after the end of the conflicts in which they had fought, enabled him to get at least a hint of the incurable traces left by the tragedy of war. So impressed was he by the experience that the urgency grew in him to translate into music these deep experiences.

On the fateful morning of what would become known as 9/11, Daniel- pour was preparing to edit the proofs of the orchestral score of his American Requiem, but realized that it included neither preface nor dedication. He was on the phone to his publisher in New York, when she told him with horror that before her eyes a plane had just struck a tower of the World Trade Center. He knew instantly that he had his dedication.

One is generally eager to find ante- cedents in the works of a composer: in this passage he is clearly influenced by Bach, or one can recognize the style of Mozart. It is possible, indeed certain, that because of Danielpour’s use of two languages — English and Latin — pur- ists will think first of Brahms’ German Requiem or Britten’s War Requiem. One might equally be tempted to make comparisons with the Requiem of Verdi, recalling his use of a multitude of instru- ments and the importance given to the human voice. Too easy. It would be even more facile to talk of plagiarism.

For my part I believe that, notwith- standing any similarities, deliberate or otherwise, this religious opus is both magnificent and eloquent. I consider it a gift to have been asked to review it.

Danielpour has written this for a