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John Gardner - The Ballad of the White Horse | EM Records EMRCD057

John Gardner - The Ballad of the White Horse

£12.69

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Label: EM Records

Cat No: EMRCD057

Barcode: 5060263500544

Format: CD

Number of Discs: 1

Release Date: 15th May 2020

Contents

Artists

Ashley Riches (bass-baritone)
City of London Choir
BBC Concert Orchestra

Conductor

Hilary Davan Wetton

Works

Gardner, John

An English Ballad
The Ballad of the White Horse, op.40

Artists

Ashley Riches (bass-baritone)
City of London Choir
BBC Concert Orchestra

Conductor

Hilary Davan Wetton

About

The Ballad of the White Horse is a major choral work which has largely remained unheard since its premiere in 1959.
It is a tour de force of orchestral and choral writing by a composer who was hugely inspired by the Chesterton’s epic poem telling the story of King Alfred’s defiance of the Viking invaders in the 9th century. Here is it performed by the BBC Concert Orchestra, the City of London Choir and Hilary Davan Wetton.

The CD is completed by the orchestral An English Ballad, effectively an English tone poem inspired by the classic tale of a lady eloping with a gypsy. It features a solo electric guitar prominently, reflecting Gardner’s view of the significance of the electric guitar in 20th-century music.

Both pieces, originally written for amateur performers, are highly approachable and enjoyable. As the review of the premiere of The Ballad of White Horse said, “music that is a pleasure for [the choir] to sing and easy for an audience to appreciate. But this simplicity masks a wealth of ingenuity in invention and treatment”.

Reviews

It is a most welcome addition to the list of rediscovered works having just the right amount of pastoral Englishness and epic modalism to move the Arthurian story along… It is beautifully scored and covers a range of styles including a particularly successful foray into Gershwinesque jazz... The recording is up to EM Records generally high standard. The distinguished conductor Hilary Davan Wetton, draws fine dramatic performances from the BBCCO, while the singers and baritone Ashley Riches are in fine form as a range of character players.  Paul Jackson
British Music Society

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