1930's - Voice & Organ. Barber, Alain, Messiaen, Nielsen. 1 cd. CDK 1018

1930's - Voice & Organ. Ekaterina Michailova (soprano), Helge Gramstrup (organ). Works by Samuel Barber, Jehan Alain, Olivier Messiaen & Carl Nielsen.

1 CD. CDK 1018

Samuel Barber wrote his beautiful Adagio for Strings in 1917, but in the 30s arranged Barber this piece of song with text figures Agnus Dei, and so created a new version - on the CD 1930's - Voice and Organ - for soprano and organ. The play was in BBC Radio called the saddest classical works - the saddest of all classics. And in the Russian soprano Ekaterina Michailova and organist Helge Gramstrups recording is the wistful beauty utterly breathtaking. Together, they also Messiaen's O sacrum convicium. Gramstrup has only recorded Jehan Alain's Three Dances - fairytale Impressionism - an otherworldly beautiful music. And as a super finale a whole new recording of Carl Nielsen's only major organ work, commotio his last major composition - perhaps a hint of how a Seventh Symphony would have sounded. Recorded in St. Petersburg. Marcus Church in Aarhus. And as always, when Gramstrup quietly rearing its head, exciting and important virtuosity.