Arnold: The Return of Odysseus
THE WORLD PREMIÈRE RECORDING of Sir Malcolm Arnold’s wonderful humorous dramatic cantata. With a fine performance of Vaughan William’s beautiful choral work (a Classic FM Hall Of Fame composition) and a rare chance to hear Milhaud’s Suite Française in its full orchestral version.
Track Listing
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Malcolm Arnold:
- The Return of Odysseus, Op. 119 (28:20) Darius Milhaud:
- Suite Francaise − I. Normandie (1:46)
- Suite Francaise − II. Bretagne (3:42)
- Suite Francaise − III. Ile de France (2:07)
- Suite Francaise − IV. Alsace-Lorraine (5:10)
- Suite Francaise − V. Provence (3:12) Ralph Vaughan Williams:
- Toward the unknown Region (13:17)
Reviews
“[Odysseus] is highly listenable… a masterly simplification of Homer’s Odyssey.⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
” —Nick Bailey
“a lively and enjoyable cantata. Orchestra, chorus and soloist do fine justice to the score…a fine recommendable program
” —Haldeman
“[Odysseus] is an approachable and lusty affair.. Taylor secures a lively, spirited account. [The Milhaud] is a delectably tuneful and tangy gem.
” —Andrew Achenbach
“excellent stuff… [the VW] performance is a fine one, well sung, well played. The Milhaud…is extremely well played. [The Arnold] receives another remarkable performance, with a particularly outstanding contribution from the fine amateur choir
” —William Hedley
“An essential purchase… not to be missed. RECORDING OF THE MONT 2006
” —Rob Barnett
“a great addition to the English choral repertoire… the recording is very agreeable and well recommended
” —TMS
“I applaud Divine Arts for this valuable contribution to the Arnold discography: Odysseus is indeed returned – to his proper place, before the music-loving public. Make no mistake, overall this is a sterling performance by Graham Taylor and his Glasgow cohorts. They sound as though they enjoyed themselves hugely whilst making the CD. I’m having just as much fun listening to it – and so, for that matter, should you.
” —Paul Serotsky
“Macolm Arnold’s The Return of Odysseus was composed in 1976 for a concert of the School’s Music Association. Patric Dickinson’s specially written text tells the story, and the back story, in simple, breezy language, though it’s rather constrained by the lack of any solo parts. Arnold’s setting is concise and clearly organised, and offers young […]
” —Anthony Burton
“[the Arnold has] typically vivid scoring. Conductor Graham Taylor points up the detail, his feel for colour and texture as engaging in [the other works]
” —Thomas Hall
“a fine debut album…The Chorus rise to the occasion with a knock-out climax. [The VW] is a touching and beautiful performance. ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
” —Michael Tumelty
