Search - Britten, Angus, Guildhall Chamber Ensemble :: Curlew River

Haunting, Chilling, Amazing

09/23/1998

(4 out of 5 stars)

"This rendition of Britten's _Curlew River_ sounds, at first, strange and unattractive, but after repeated listenings, the force of the performance takes over and sweeps you off your feet. The emotion that is built up and then released (in some of the most affecting music these ears have ever happened across) is so true and palpable that you can't help walking away from the piece with a more complete understanding of what Britten is trying to say. And, as always with any of Britten's pieces, this work operates on so many different levels that virtually anyone can feel a relation to what is going on. A madwoman, a lost son, a world that is both frightening and secure, both uncaring and tender, and also a reuniting. I think it is that sense of completion to the work that makes it so wonderful, the idea that, yes there is great pain and suffering, but there is also happiness and love. All of this (and so much more) is increasingly evident in the work if only you allow yourself to be lost in this excellent recording and slowly find your way back out again."