Hovhaness-Talin (and works by Diamond, Barber, etc.)

Fantastic disc from Citadel records 1995 (was originally an lp from 1977, the analog-to-digital transfer is superb) Needless to say I bought this back then especially for Hovhaness's Talin, but it's an essential recording of American music (especially the Barber and Diamond) all around. Enjoy!

                        

"Talin," according to Hovhaness, "was an ancient Armenian cathedral whose beautiful ruins are a monument of architectural wonder, grandeur, and expressiveness." The music inspired by these ruins is considered by many Hovhaness specialists to be among the composer's most consistently inspired and most fully consummated creations. Originally scored for viola in 1952, the work was captured several years later in a magnificent performance by violist Emanuel Vardi on an MGM recording only briefly in circulation. During the mid 1970s, Hovhaness created an alternate version of the work for clarinetist Lawrence Sobol, who was an ardent champion of the composer's music during the 1970s and 80s. Sobol recorded this version of the work in 1977, a performance that was later reissued on compact disc. However, the intensity and fervent rapture of the work are generally felt to be more effectively projected by the viola.

"Talin" comprises three movements. In the first, somber melismatic incantations in an unusually dark, chromatic mode are heard in alternation with searingly devout passages of imitative modal counterpoint. The short second movement is a lively dance in Armenian style with virtuoso opportunities for the soloist. In the solemn third movement, reverent hymnlike passages, intensified by poignant suspensions and appoggiaturas, alternate with blisteringly ornate solo arabesques, which gradually build together toward an ecstatic conclusion.

http://www43.zippyshare.com/v/16210139/file.html