Search - Morten Lauridsen, Stephen Layton, Andrew Lumsden :: Morten Lauridsen: Nocturnes

Superb recording of Lauridsen's choral works

James C. Dearing | 03/30/2007

(5 out of 5 stars)

"The recent recording of Morten Lauridsen's choral works entitled "Nocturnes" (Hyperion label) should be nominated for a Grammy. Stephen Layton's group, Polyphony, in collaboration with the composer and the Britten Sinfonia, have produced one of the most stunning choral CDs I have ever heard. Serious music lovers, not just choral/vocalists, should add this to their library.



Jim Dearing, Director of Choral Studies

Indiana University of Pennsylvania"

Deeply Mixed Feelings

NH Wolverine | Hanover, NH USA | 03/15/2007

(3 out of 5 stars)

"There are some strong reasons to buy this CD. The Mid-Winter Songs and Les Chansons des Roses are wonderful song cycles, Polyphony is as good a choral ensemble as exists, and here you will find them at the top of their game. Unfortunately, there also are strong reasons to leave this CD on the rack, and Lauridsen's Nocturnes provide two of them.



The Nocturnes are choral settings of three superlative lyrics: "Sa nuit d'ete" by Rainer Maria Rilke, "Soneto de la noche" by Pablo Neruda, and "Sure on this shining night" by James Agee. The Agee nocturne is a worthy effort, but to my ears the other two are crushing disappointments: uninspired music (at best) that doesn't approach the stature of the lyrics and isn't worth a second listen. The first time I listened to them I was stunned and sadly surprised by how bad I thought they were. The Rilke nocturne compares very unfavorably with the Chansons des Roses (which also are settings of Rilke's poetry), and the Neruda was, to my ears, an unbelievable botch of an extraordinary text. (Summary of long argument: I think Lauridsen's music is badly suited to the lyric, which I think he has misinterpreted, and nothing to write home about otherwise.)



I've seen this music reviewed favorably elsewhere, so as a check to my opinion I consulted a close friend, a former student of Lauridsen's at USC who was present at the Los Angeles premiere of the Nocturnes. The (slightly edited) response:



"When I heard the premiere, I was extremely disappointed. When I heard about the interesting new texts he was using ... I hoped he would break away from his safety net and do something new -- let the texts lead him somewhere else. But he didn't. The whole performance, I and [my friends] kept looking at each other in disappointment. I didn't even have the heart to talk to Dr. Lauridsen after. I haven't heard the pieces since, or ever looked at them. ... To tell you the truth, I was embarrassed

for him at the time. ...



"I guess he's afraid to go in a direction that won't get him the accolades of the masses, but if he doesn't, he will lose all his respect as a good

composer..."



At least I'm not alone, and the texts *are* interesting, but hardly a reason to buy this recording. It's clear that Lauridsen's on the decline. At times his superb craftsmanship -- all of his works are written meticulously -- and adherence to a well-proved formula can still result in memorable music, but too often now these aren't enough to overcome a basic lack of inspiration.



As a believer in free-market economics, I advise leaving this one on the shelf, so as to not encourage Dr. Lauridsen to produce more of the same.

But you might like the Nocturnes better than I do, 12 of the 16 tracks (the two earlier song cycles, the Ave Dulcissima Maria, and the Agee nocturne) are worthwhile, and Polyphony is wonderful -- but there are other fine recordings of this music, and an expanding list of Polyphony CDs that might be a better investment of your money and time."

An old fan

BassNLA | Los Angeles, CA United States | 03/22/2007

(3 out of 5 stars)

"I "grew up" singing Lauridsen and am a huge fan of his earlier works (Madrigali, Mid-Winter Songs - piano version). I sang in the Los Angeles premiere of the Les chansons des roses and Nocturnes under the direction of Don Brinegar. I don't particularly care for Lux aeterna, the sound of Polyphony nor Layton's interpretations. To me, Polyphony has an unrelaxed sound and Layton takes music on the slow side like Robert Shaw [hearing that Lauridsen played on these recordings, I'm surprised he let the music go as slowly as he did. Having worked with him, he always wanted to make sure we kept up the tempo to reflect the joyous nature of the text. But he is an exceedingly kind man and even with us, I think he let things slip by like us slowing down on the Ubi caritas recording on Northwest Journey]. My lowered rating is more reflective of the performance and not the music itself. I know my feelings are quite the opposite of many out there but now you know where I'm coming from. So here's what I think:



I "didn't get" Soneto de la noche when we first rehearsed it. I thought it didn't suit the remakable text. But after weeks of singing it, I began to understand the interpretation. It is also important to know exactly what is being sung at the specific time in the music. The piece starts off somber but becomes rapturous when speaking of the delights of life and love and grows when it describes the flowers blooming. It's not the direction I would have gone but in the end, I do like it. And I think Sa nuit d'été "shimmers" as it should. Sure on This Shining night is as uninteresting to me as Dirait-on and Lux aeterna.



I'm glad to know that his earlier music is being unsurfaced. If you heard the Four Madrigals on Renaissance Texts, you might be surprised, disappointed, delighted, who knows?"