Page 99 - FULL BOOK Isata Kanneh-Mason Childhood Tales

your windows rattle when at full tilt. Verdi was an inventive orchestrator, and Chailly really
relishes the writing for lower brass and percussion. Try “Spuntanto ecco il di d’esultanza’
from Don Carlos, Verdi’s monks grumbling over leery trombones and bass drum beats. And the
way that Chailly phrases the string line at 2’40” is so idiomatic. Two witchy extracts
from Macbeth are great fun, and the orchestral introduction to the "Profughi Scozzesi" is
atmospheric, Verdi conjuring up Scottish vistas with baleful brass and soft string chords.
The little prelude to Ernani demonstrates just how much Verdi could pack into three minutes, and
the same opera's "Si ridesti il Leon di Castiglia" romps along (best ignore the line about "Moorish
oppressors"). There's a melting "Va pensiero" from Don Carlos and Il Trovatore's "Vedi! Le
fosche" has terrific anvils. An extended sequence of Aida highlights is brilliantly done, trumpets
immaculate in the march. A clangorous snippet from Simon Boccanegra brings proceedings to a
rousing close. Full texts and translations are included.

Mary Bevan: Visions Illuminées (Signum)

I’m a sucker for Fauré, and the warm “Clair de Lune” that kicks off Visions Illuminées instantly
gives the sense of being in safe hands – and this is borne out by the rest of the disc. Mary Bevan
has put together a selection of French melodies with Britten’s Les Illuminations at its heart, an