Skempton - The Rime of the Ancient Mariner, Only the Sound Remains
£13.25 £10.60
save £2.65 (20%)
special offer ending 27/05/2024
In stock - available for despatch within 1 working day
Despatch Information
This despatch estimate is based on information from both our own stock and the UK supplier's stock.
If ordering multiple items, we will aim to send everything together so the longest despatch estimate will apply to the complete order.
If you would rather receive certain items more quickly, please place them on a separate order.
If any unexpected delays occur, we will keep you informed of progress via email and not allow other items on the order to be held up.
If you would prefer to receive everything together regardless of any delay, please let us know via email.
Pre-orders will be despatched as close as possible to the release date.
Label: NMC Recordings
Cat No: NMCD234
Format: CD
Number of Discs: 1
Release Date: 21st April 2017
Contents
Artists
Roderick Williams (baritone)Christopher Yates (viola)
Birmingham Contemporary Music Group
Conductor
Martyn BrabbinsWorks
Only the Sound RemainsThe Rime of the Ancient Mariner
Artists
Roderick Williams (baritone)Christopher Yates (viola)
Birmingham Contemporary Music Group
Conductor
Martyn BrabbinsAbout
Skempton takes on Coleridge's epic poem The Rime of the Ancient Mariner and brings it to life, using just solo voice (baritone) and small chamber ensemble. The result is a stunning, dark and hypnotic journey led by the almost constant, magnetic presence of Roderick Williams, for whose voice and dramatic capabilities the piece was conceived.
Only the Sound Remains takes its name from the opening line of The Mill-Water by English poet Edward Thomas. The piece is an evocation of loss and decay, where textures, and melodies mysteriously recur, while others simply fade beautifully out of aural reach. It is written for sixteen players, including solo viola.
This is a stunning premiere recording of two recent works by one of Britain's finest living composers.
Skempton's hugely successful Lento for orchestra, performed by the BBC Symphony Orchestra, is available on NMCD005.
Reviews
The vocal line [in The Rime of the Ancient Mariner] is necessarily dominant, given the wealth of imagery to be conveyed, though it helps when Roderick Williams has a clarity of enunciation second to none. The instrumental accompaniment for string quintet, horn and double bass is no less acutely judged; notably in those brief interludes which elide between textual excisions and crystalise the music’s emotional essence to haunting effect. ... Superbly recorded and informatively annotated, this is a valuable addition to Skempton’s expanding discography and welcome acknowledgement of his significance in his 70th year. Richard Whitehouse
Error on this page? Let us know here
Need more information on this product? Click here