Boy with Goldfish
Jerre Tanner (composer), London Symphony Orchestra, Leon Siu, Malia Elliott (vocals), Nigel Brooks Chorale, Lee Holdridge (conductor)
One of the major audiophile recordings comes around full circle! Recorded in 1979 at London's Watford Town Hall by the great engineer/producer Brian Culverhouse, this was one of the first digital (Soundstream process, to be exact) LPs on the market. Several years later, Albany reissued it on CD in a more complete version of the score. And now, nearly 30 years (!) later, it's back on SACD, sounding better than ever. This is lovely, tonal, neo-Romantic music lavishly written for the orchestra and vocalists (singing both in English and Hawaiian) in a particularly sympathetic performance conducted by Lee Holdridge whose own fame as a film and concert composer increased in the years since. Jerre Tanner, of French and Cherokee Indian descent, was born in Pennsylvania. His childhood was spent in national wildlife reserve lands where his father was superintendent of fish hatcheries. Tanner currently lives in Hawaii, as did John Thomas (1927-2001), the artist whose paintings inspired this wonderful oratorio. Those paintings are reproduced throughout the booklet, which also contains a complete libretto.
Track Listing
| Title | Composer | Performer |
|---|---|---|
| Boy with Goldfish | Jerre Tanner | London Symphony Orchestra, Leon Siu, Malia Elliott, vocals, Nigel Brooks Chorale, Lee Holdridge, conductor |
Reviews
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"This "heroic fantasy for soloists, chorus and orchestra"is based on the Hawaiian legend paintings of Kona artist John Thomas and has some of the most beautiful music written in this century. Jerre Tanner has a fascination with other cultures (he has written works inspired by Hong Kong, the Bosphorus and ancient Mexico), but only uses those cultures as inspiration. His musical modalities are quite tonal and melodic. As it is, Boy With Goldfish is sung in both Hawaiian and English, with the mic placement precise enough that the English is quite distinct. Repeated listenings have not diminished the unexpected pleasure of this disc. Find it. Buy it. Enjoy it."
*Album cover provided for Editorial use only. ©Albany Records. The Albany Imprint is a registered trademark of PARMA Recordings LLC. The views and opinions expressed in this media are those of the artist and do not necessarily represent or reflect the views and opinions held by PARMA Recordings LLC and its label imprints, subsidiaries, and affiliates.