Search - Moray Welsh, John Blackwood McEwen, Alasdair Mitchell :: McEwen: "Solway" Symphony; Hills o' Heather; Where the Wild Thyme Blows

Excellent hypnotic Scottish Impressionist music

rash67 | USA | 11/18/2009

(5 out of 5 stars)

"What a beautiful, unknown classic album this is! And a long time personal favorite.



When I listen to classical music stations these days they all play the same 100 boring pieces over and over. John McEwen's music is wonderful and unknown by 99% of Classical music cognoscenti, certainly underplayed. Time was when the BBC broadcast the excellent but unknown music of British Composers all over the world, but much of this music is now unjustly forgotten. Chandos had done an great job of finding this British music and recording it.



This music is British (or Scots) Impressionist which shows a general linkage to Debussy and Englanders Vaughn Williams, Bax, Bridge and lesser known Stanford. Like French Impressionist music, the themes are often taken from Nature. Tone poems picture a rhapsodic and hypnotic description of moonlight on the Highland moors (Where the Wild Thyme Blows), (Hills O' Heather) fog on the highland bracken or the Firth of Solway, with the gentle movement of the waves (Solway Symphony).



I love Impressionist music, but there is so little of it; coming just before the angst and disillusionment of The Great War. John Blackwood McEwen composed far too few pieces, these are his masterpieces. He lived till after WWII and wrote a few more tone poems and some string quartets, but I guess these more gentle, pretty, melodic impressionist/romantic style nature sketches were out of favor later in his life. More's the pity.



This is a great addition to the collection of the classical music lover who thinks he has heard it all. It makes a profound impression on the most jaded listener.



Performances and recordings are also quite excellent."