Symphony No. 3; Praeludium (Hickox) (1994)

"Tippett's 3rd Symphony (1972), was conceived as a response to and a commentary on Schiller's Ode to Joy. The 20th century has proven that men are not truly all brothers: acceptance of humanity's dual nature is needed to understand the events of the 20th century. Tippett structures his symphony around Beethoven's Ninth (as well as literally quoting the opening of the Finale), with a sequence of blues numbers with Tippett's own text to replace the Ode. The rest of the symphony is an intriguing alternation of extremely static music with moments of irrepressible energy. Sound quality in this recording is excellent, and the orchestra and vocal soloist perform very well. The other piece on this CD, the Praeludium, is using the same brass complement as Stravinsky's Rite of Spring and is a dramatic and enjoyable piece." (bron: Amazon)