Search - Granville Bantock, David Towse, Vernon Handley :: Bantock: Hebridean Symphony; Celtic Symphony; The Witch of Atlas; The Sea Reivers

Celtic Beauty

Brett A. Kniess | Madison, WI | 04/16/2000

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Here ia a CD with a lot to offer. Two symphonies and two tone poems, all masterfully written and wonderfully programmed. The theme of this CD is genuinely received.First, the Celtic Symphony is written for strings and harps (a whole bunch). This one movement symphony gives me a feel of the coastal regions of the Scotch highlands with its modal pleasures and lush, rich sound.The contrasting tone poems are marvelous. The Sea Reivers is a whirlwind of woodwinds and brass. The Witch of Atlas is a very descriptive tale of the Celtic fokelore. Both are very colorful in sound and beauty.The masterpiece on this recording, however, is the Hebridean Symphony. Again, it is an extended one movement symphony, but this time for the whole orchestra. It brings back the tumultuous sounds of the crashing waters along the Celtic shores. This time, the colorful brass section gets to amaze us as well as the spright woodwinds. The whole work ends in a paen of triumph to bring this recording to a fabulous close.Suprisingly, the Royal Philharmonic on the Hyperion label gives their best performance on this CD. The climaxes are grand enough to truly compliment the opposite dance and largo sections. If you enjoy the mysterious modes of Grieg, Sibelius, and Janacek along with the sumptuousness of Vaughan Williams (who doesn't really?), you have to pick this up."

A sleeper...a delight!

Craig LeHoullier | Raleigh, NC USA | 06/02/2000

(5 out of 5 stars)

"I, too, have a very large classical CD collection, with my tastes running primarily to Mahler, Shostakovich, Brucker, and Sibelius - though I recently added Rubbra to this group of frequent musical companions. My brother gave this CD to me for Christmas a few years ago, but it was within the last year that I decided to really give it a close listen. I now consider it to be one of those pieces (like Mahler #4, Shostakovich #5, and Sibelius #2)that always sound fresh to my ears - always feel like musical home! Though I love the initial three pieces on this CD (particularly the lovely Celtic Symphony with its gloriously peaceful opening), it is the Hebridean Symphony that is on my Desert Island list. From its brooding, dramatic opening (clearly preparing the listener for a meaningful experience) to the lovely climax and ending, this music is always totally involving. The recording is spectacular - the dynamic range is huge, and the brass the percussion make some huge punctuations; it is hard to find just one listening level for the car, in fact!Don't miss this high point of not only British classical music, but all of music, in total! Now if only it would start showing up in local concert halls...."

An incomprehensible neglection of an outstanding composer

gaspar | Tenerife, Canary Islands SPAIN | 05/25/2002

(5 out of 5 stars)

"It's absolutely astonishing how a composer of the range and impact of Sir Granville Bantock has been forgotten for so long, not only at concert halls but also (and this is even more surprising) by recording labels.I agree in every word with the opinions of previous Bantock's lovers reviews, but I want to add a few more things. I have also a huge classical symphonic CD'S collection, but among them all I consider a few of them as authentic jewells, hidden treasures which must be urgently unburied.This is one and, probably, the most valuable of them.It is impossible to describe the sense of emotion, grandiosity and splendour this "God of Symphonic Music" is able to display in each of his, fortunately, prolific compositions, and specially in his Hebriddean Symphony, which is, undoubtedly, one of the master works, not only in the History of Symphonic Music but in the History of Music.Mysterious woodwind passages preceed others of sublime brass magnificency and glory, all involved in a lyric ,epic and romantic wave;a dream come true thanks to the brilliant sound of the RPO under the baton of Vernon Handley.
Each new listening becomes a new delight for the ears, and deep emotions arise once an again, making this CD a unique experience, unforgivable to miss by any symphonic music lover.
I'm absolutely delighted with Hyperion, the RPO and Vernon Handley, as they keep recording Bantock's music, and I hope they will be doing so. I'm craving for more Bantock!."