Ballet is not a form for which British composers are generally known, but this CD includes four dance works by Malcolm Arnold: two of the composer's complete shorter ballets, Rinaldo and Armida and Electra, as well as suites from two of his longer ballets, Homage to the Queen and Sweeny Todd, performed with impressive enthusiasm by the BBC Philharmonic under Rumon Gamba and recorded in imposed digital sound by Chandos. Each is effective in its own way. Homage is big, brassy, and brilliant; Rinaldo and Armida is darker, ...
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Ballet is not a form for which British composers are generally known, but this CD includes four dance works by Malcolm Arnold: two of the composer's complete shorter ballets, Rinaldo and Armida and Electra, as well as suites from two of his longer ballets, Homage to the Queen and Sweeny Todd, performed with impressive enthusiasm by the BBC Philharmonic under Rumon Gamba and recorded in imposed digital sound by Chandos. Each is effective in its own way. Homage is big, brassy, and brilliant; Rinaldo and Armida is darker, moodier, and more mysterious; Electra is sleek, slinky, and a little sexy; and Sweeny Todd absolutely explosive and positively frightening. These effects are primarily orchestral in nature and the music is symphonic in origin, so one listens in vain for danceable rhythms, propulsive tempos, or even an insistent tattoo or two. It is conceivable that Arnold's ballets might be danced, but these works can be enjoyed as bright, colorful, and melodic orchestral music. ~ James Leonard, Rovi
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Add this copy of Ballet Music to cart. $32.17, new condition, Sold by newtownvideo rated 4.0 out of 5 stars, ships from huntingdon valley, PA, UNITED STATES, published 2009 by Chandos.
Add this copy of Arnold: Ballet Music to cart. $41.68, new condition, Sold by Revaluation Books rated 4.0 out of 5 stars, ships from Exeter, DEVON, UNITED KINGDOM, published 2009 by CHANDOS GROUP.
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