Search - John Biggs, Czech National Symphony Orchestra :: John Biggs: Symphony Nos. 1 & 2; The Ballad of William Sycamore

It's Sycamore, not Shakespeare

Jonathan DUNN-RANKIN | San Diego, CA USA | 07/27/2005

(5 out of 5 stars)

"As the narrator on this disc, I can attest that the title of the piece for narrator and orchestra is The Ballad of William Sycamore (not William Shakespeare), a setting by American composer John Biggs of a poem by Stephen Vincent Benet. It was recorded in Prague with the Czech National Symphony under the baton of Paul Freeman. Having previously performed as narrator with the San Diego Symphony Orchestra (Copland's Lincoln Portrait and Honegger's King David Oratorio), I found Biggs' music a good match for Benet's poem, capturing the exuberant quality of Benet's depiction of pioneer life as well as the elegiac lament of Sycamore's death."

Something very special

Cantab | Cambridge, UK | 10/16/2004

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Just occasionally, amongst the many CDs I buy, I find one that is very special: this is one of them. It contains two fine symphonies, beautifully crafted and strikingly memorable. Both symphonies are in the great American symphonic tradition of Harris, Copland, Piston and Barber. While I am not a great fan of works with narrator, The Ballad of William Sycamore is much better than most. I defy any listener to forget the wonderful dance of the mountain men! This is a CD to be bought and treasured."