COMPOSERS: Walton
LABELS: IMP
WORKS: Belshazzar’s Feast; Suite from Henry V
PERFORMER: Benjamin Luxon (baritone) Brighton Festival Chorus, Collegium Musicum of London, RPO/André Previn
CATALOGUE NO: 30367 01862 1986
These performances were first released on what was the orchestra’s own label, RPO Records. Previn’s readings are tremendously exciting, in very clear sound so that the huge climaxes in Belshazzar’s Feast really reach out to you. The cumulative excitement of Previn’s realistic-sounding ‘Charge and Battle’ in Henry V impresses too. The chorus is excellent, and Benjamin Luxon brings oaken authority and great drama to Belshazzar, but it is a pity that a close recording emphasises his heavy vibrato. Ian Lace
Walton: Belshazzar's Feast; Suite from Henry V
These performances were first released on what was the orchestra’s own label, RPO Records. Previn’s readings are tremendously exciting, in very clear sound so that the huge climaxes in Belshazzar’s Feast really reach out to you. The cumulative excitement of Previn’s realistic-sounding ‘Charge and Battle’ in Henry V impresses too. The chorus is excellent, and Benjamin Luxon brings oaken authority and great drama to Belshazzar, but it is a pity that a close recording emphasises his heavy vibrato. Ian Lace
Our rating
4
Published: January 20, 2012 at 2:37 pm