Magnificient in every way
Joseph Serraglio | Cleveland, Ohio USA | 12/30/2004
(5 out of 5 stars)
"After listening, I could not believe that that this wonderful work had never been performed. The orchestral writing is tuneful and rhythmically powerful. McEwen sets the text of Milton's "Nativity Ode". The album notes are unusually detailed & informative. The sound is magnificient, reproducing the vast dynamic range of this music.
This is a big vibrant work in every way, not at all stilted or dated, as some oratorios tend to be. The notes cite Handel, Wagner and Parry, among others, as influences, but the work's dramatic qualities remind me, surprisingly enough, of Verdi's "Requiem". Whatever its influences, I found this music to be highly original."