The music of composer Cyril Rootham is only occasionally recorded, and mostly in Britain, but as head of the Cambridge University Musical Society in the early 20th century he was a major force in English musical life. He was the teacher of Arthur Bliss. The pair of works here reveals a composer with a distinctive style: a conservative who did not shy away from modern trends, but took from them what he considered of value. These deeply lyrical works suggest what might have happened had someone like Frederick Delius taken a ...
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The music of composer Cyril Rootham is only occasionally recorded, and mostly in Britain, but as head of the Cambridge University Musical Society in the early 20th century he was a major force in English musical life. He was the teacher of Arthur Bliss. The pair of works here reveals a composer with a distinctive style: a conservative who did not shy away from modern trends, but took from them what he considered of value. These deeply lyrical works suggest what might have happened had someone like Frederick Delius taken a position in the heart of the British academy. The main attraction is the Ode on the Morning of Christ's Nativity, setting the substantial poem by John Milton for giant forces including choir, boy choir, strings, winds, 11 brasses, and a percussion section with tubular bells. The lofty lyrical tone, with little variation in tempo or rhythm, can take a bit of time to tune into, but once you connect with it, it's remarkable. Sample the beginning of Milton's "Hymn" (track 2), where a Manx...
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