ribonucleic
03-31-2013, 05:05 PM
The soundtrack for Peter Greenaway's film Prospero's Books is one of Michael Nyman's most ambitious accomplishments. Where his previous film scores had been obsessively minimalist and cleverly derivative of past musical styles, Nyman's stylistic approach is more varied and rather free, since many of these pieces are settings of Shakespeare's song texts and require a flexible approach. Though Nyman's neo-Baroque minimalism is still present in such instrumental pieces as the extended processional music of Prospero's Magic and the sedate Cornfield, his vocal pieces are entirely of a different character. "Full Fathom Five" is given a lush, harmonic setting, introducing an impressionist style that will be more pronounced in later scores. "Where the Bee Sucks" is similar, as the melody is wreathed in shimmering harmonies and undulating figurations. In these songs, Sarah Leonard's pure tone approximates the sound of a boy soprano's voice, and was extremely effective in the film when synchronized with the child actor who played Ariel. The Masque is the major work on this recording, a nearly operatic rendering of the wedding scene for three sopranos in three different vocal styles. Marie Angel, Ute Lemper, and Deborah Conway sing the roles of Iris, Ceres, and Juno, respectively, and the distinctiveness of their voices is not so great as to prevent them from blending well in their concluding trio. - AllMusic ****1/2
1 Full Fathom Five (1:58)
2 Prospero's Curse (2:38)
3 While You Here Do Snoring Lie (1:06)
4 Prospero's Magic (5:11)
5 Miranda (3:54)
6 Twelwe Years Since (2:45)
7 Come Unto These Yellow Sands (3:44)
8 History Of Sycorax (3:25)
9 Come And Go (1:16)
10 Cornfield (6:26)
11 Where The Bee Sucks (4:48)
12 Caliban's Pit (2:56)
13 Reconciliation (2:31)
14 The Masque (12:12)
Vocals [Ceres] � Ute Lemper
Vocals [Iris] � Marie Angel
Vocals [Juno] � Deborah Conway
Bass � Martin Elliott
Cello � Justin Pearson, Tony Hinnigan
Clarinet, Clarinet [Bass] � David Rix
Double Bass � Lynda Houghton, Paul Morgan, Tim Amhurst
Horns � Marjorie Dunn, Richard Clews
Saxophone [Soprano, Alto] � David Roach, Jamie Talbot, John Harle
Saxophone [Tenor, Baritone], Piccolo Flute, Flute � Andrew Findon
Soprano Vocals � Sarah Leonard (tracks: 1, 3, 7, 9, 11)
Trombone [Bass] � Nigel Barr, Stave Saunders
Trumpet � Graham Ashton
Viola � Kate Musker
Violin � Alexander Balanescu, Clare Connors, Elisabeth Perry, Jonathan Carney
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