Search - Philip Feeney, John Pryce-Jones, Northern Ballet Theatre Orchestra :: Feeney: Dracula

SHALL WE DANCE?

Melvyn M. Sobel | Freeport (Long Island), New York | 06/23/2000

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Those of you who might sniff your nose up at the idea of something like DRACULA (Ballet in 3 Acts), don't. The music here is as bonafide and musically valid as any ballet penned by, for example, Prokofiev or Copland, et. al., and certainly more substantial than the recent minimalist Glass soundtrack composed for the 1931 Lugosi vehicle.



I've listened to the Feeney innumerable times (especially effective through headphones, by the way) and I am consistently impressed by his ingenuity, use of Hungarian folk rhythms (brilliantly and thrillingly realized in Act 1, Scene 2, "Transylvania," for example), highly-charged set pieces and a keen sense of dramatic atmosphere (as displayed in Act 2, "The Winter Garden of the Grand Hotel, Whitby"). And, of course, lest I forget, the overall spine-tingling moodiness Feeney creates, the eerie dread and downright spookiness, too. But this is no Halloween toss off; this is music of depth and substance, despite the nature of its subject, story and shadow. It's a treat, not a trick. Feeney is a serious composer and I, for one, marvel at his accomplishment. Sure: A DRACULA ballet. Of course the notion seems ludicrous, but don't let the Dracula "taint" throw you off. There's no Hollywood here. This is riveting, fabulous music that grips you in its vampiric tale, mesmerizes you, surprises and enthralls and, then, maybe, just maybe, lets you go. Its attraction is potent.



Grand sound from the NBTO under John Pryce-Jones. Kudos to Naxos for producing such wonderful stuff.



[Running time: 79:08]"

A romantic, evocative score for a ballet about Dracula

AmazingMrKimble | Rio Rancho, New Mexico, USA | 11/02/2000

(5 out of 5 stars)

"I would have thought that Dracula would serve as the inspiration for a musical, a la Phantom, but this disc proved me wrong. I would love to see this as well as listen to it. This disc reminds you that there is a strong romantic element to the Dracula story, as has been more and more evident in recent cinematic versions. Feeney's ballet reminds me of a good old-fashioned movie score where sweeping strings mean romance and low chords spell despair and danger. Maybe someday they will use Feeney's music for a Dracula movie, like Disney did with "Sleeping Beauty." This is great music to listen while reading a book in the evening, even if it is not a vampire book."

Great Music - Good Performance

Josh Likes Music | Houston, TX United States | 01/15/2005

(5 out of 5 stars)

"I was impressed when I first heard this as a new recording on the radio back around 1997, and I'm still impressed. It's probably some of the best music ever created for a "dracula" production (including movie/tv, etc.). While the small orchestra in this recording does a very fine job of the performance and the quality of the recording is pretty good, I would LOVE to hear this recorded with a large orchestra (mainly with more strings), and with a label, such as Telarc, that puts out superior-sounding recordings - yes, this music is worth all of that."