The 11-minute cantata 'Naomi and Ruth,' set to an English text from the Book of Ruth (1:1-17) tells the well-loved story of Naomi and her daughter-in-law Ruth. It tells how, after both their husbands had died, when Naomi was moving from Ruth's native Moab back to her own homeland, Judah, Ruth refused to abandon Naomi. It is set for soprano solo, women's chorus and orchestra. The words of Naomi are sung by the soprano; in this recording the lovely-voiced and impressive Ana Maria Martínez is the soloist. She is sensitively accompanied by Sir Neville Marriner conducting the Academy and Chorus of St. Martin-in-the-Fields. Aptly dramatic, the music is tonal, somber, mildly contrapuntal and entirely accessible.
'Prayers My Grandfather Wrote' (excerpts) is a set a organ variations based on a theme written by Castelnuovo-Tedesco's maternal grandfather, Bruto Senigaglia. The theme is a nine-note motto that, in the two variations excerpted here, is worked out contrapuntally by the composer. It is, on the present evidence, a fairly negligible piece, played nicely by organist Barbara Harbach. Apparently it meant a great deal to Castelnuovo-Tedesco as it was played at a memorial service after his death.
Three pieces are excerpted from the composer's 'Memorial Service fo the Departed,' here sung by Cantor Simon Spiro, the New York Cantorial Choir, and McNeil Robertson, organ, conducted by Neil Levin. These pieces are intensely moving--not particularly Jewish-sounding except for the Hebrew words--and quite beautiful. Cantor Spiro has a beautiful tenor voice capable of declaiming dramatically or singing as in a hushed lullaby. Levin is the artistic director of the project of which this CD is a part: the Milken Archive of American Jewish Music, being issued on Naxos. There have been four earlier issues in this series but I have not heard them.
The longest and most ambitious piece on the CD is the 40-minute 'Sacred Service for the Sabbath Eve, Op. 122.' The participating musicians are Ted Christopher, baritone; Jeremy Cohen, tenor; Rabbi Rodney Mariner, narrator; Hugh Potton, organ; The London Chorus; all conducted by Ronald Corp. It was composed in 1943 for a Reform congregation and thus the texts are from the reform Union Prayer Book. He separately set other prayers that were later added to the composition. The premičre of the full Sacred Service was given in 1950. Castelnuovo-Tedesco considered trying to write a monodic piece, in keeping with what was thought to be ancient custom, but gave up that idea and wrote it in his accustomed style, which could be described as polyphonic, tonal, with some chromatic excursions and melismatic decoration. Particularly moving are the opening movement, 'Ma Tovu,' ('How lovely are your dwellings, O House of Israel') which is choral with interjections by the baritone soloist, and 'Kiddush,' ('Praised be You, O Lord') which features the strong tenor of Jeremy Cohen (the only one of the soloists who for some reason did not merit a blurb about his background and career). The final, canonic and ultimately triumphant 'Adon Olam' ('Lord of the world, who reigned before form was created') ends with the reassuring 'The Lord is with me: I fear not.'
Heretofore I had only known some of Castelnuovo-Tedesco's lighter music and I have to say I was impressed with his skills here. He certainly was capable of writing memorable melodies and limning emotional states musically. All the performances here are more than adequate and in some instances (particularly the excerpts from the Memorial Service, and the cantata 'Ruth and Naomi') transcendent.
TT=69:40
Scott Morrison
The works here the composer wrote near or at the top of his game. Naomi and Ruth, a little cantata, tells the familiar story, with the soprano soloist taking the part of Naomi and the chorus taking over the narration and the words of Ruth. It's an almost archetypal example of the composer's unevenness, in that the music for the chorus is much stronger than that for the soprano. The Sacred Service has its moments, but large stretches of it simply go by. My favorite parts of the CD were the excerpts from the organ preludes, Prayers My Grandfather Wrote, and especially from the Memorial Service for the Departed. Here, whatever engagement the composer had with his inspiration manages to cross over to the listener.
The performances are mostly top-drawer, with Neville Marriner leading an outstanding Naomi and Ruth. The choir and orchestra knock you out with their precision and tone. By comparison, Ronald Corp's Sacred Service sounds muddy, and the baritone soloist, Ted Christopher, suffers from what sounds like occasional vocal tiredness. Organist Barbara Harbach gives an intense account of the Prayers, and canto Simon Spiro (though of modest voice) nevertheless sings beautifully and with wonderful communication in the Memorial Service. Indeed, the composer gets such strong performances, it may be difficult to separate one's pleasure in the singers and players from the pleasure in the work.
