Mark-Anthony Turnage: A Constant Obsession

Mark-Anthony Turnage: A Constant Obsession

Regular price £12.99
Total playing time [59:27]

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Nicky Spence (tenor)
Chamber Domaine
Thomas Kemp (conductor)

As one of the most celebrated composers of his generation, Mark-Anthony Turnage has written a great number of large-scale orchestral works and operas, including his most recent commission for the Royal Opera House, Anna Nicole.

His contribution to the chamber genre is equally impressive and significant, and the renowned chamber group, Chamber Domaine with their conductor and artistic director Thomas Kemp, here present a selection of world premiere recordings of Turnage’s chamber works composed in recent years. Included in the programme is the characterful piano quartet Three for Two, the compelling piano trio A Slow Pavane, the varied Four Chants for violin and piano as well as the energised Grazioso! for ensemble.

Chamber Domaine are joined by the outstanding young tenor Nicky Spence for the central work of the album, the song cycle about love – A Constant Obsession.

Album booklet (PDF)

Tracklist

A Constant Obsession (2007)
1. Prologue
2. Love expected
3. Love begun
4. The pains of love
5. Love continued
6. Love in death

Three for Two (2010)
7. Wish One
8. Wish Two
9. Wish Three

Four Chants (2008)
10. Chant 1
11. Chant 2
12. Chant 3 (A Bride's Fancy)
13. Chant 4

14. A Slow Pavane (2004)

15. Grazioso! (2009)

‘Glowing interpretations [...] fascinating and beautifully played [...] precise, elegant playing that's high on expressivity’

- The Strad ('The Strad Recommends')

‘[...] it's a delight to find these Mark-Anthony Turnage recordings of recent works bouncing along in superb sound; superb artistry too, with pungent playing from Chamber Domaine'
The Times

‘Nicky Spence flatters the tenor lines, while the musicians of Chamber Domaine capture the moody luminosity of the instrumental score'
The Financial Times

'The sheer sound of this [album] is a thrill: it's warm, up close, and amazingly vivid. Nicky Spence is superb in the song cycle A Constant Obsession, a set of love songs on poets such as Keats and Tennyson.'
The Daily Telegraph

'Nicky Spence is a superb soloist here - elegant expressive lines and firm sense of pitch - and Chamber Domaine is excellent throughout. [...] The recordings, too, are outstanding in their vivid clarity and lifelike balance.'
BBC Music Magazine (5 stars, performance & sound)

'[...] a feast of warmth and lyricism. Nicky Spence delivers the song cycle A Constant Obsession with smoothness yet crystalline clarity.'
Classical Music Magazine (5 stars, 'Editor's Choice')

'Glowing interpretations [...] fascinating and beautifully played [...] Recorded sound is warm and generous throughout.'
The Strad ('The Strad Recommends')

'This new disc on Resonus finds the composer and ensemble in perfect synchrony, with first-rate solo turns and authoritative leadership from conductor/violinist Thomas Kemp'
Fanfare Magazine

'With the underlying theme of unrequited love, it's music to make you take notice [...] and it receives a powerful performance.'
MusicWeb International

'Committed performances from Chamber Domaine, definitely an ensemble from whom much can be expected, under the incisive leadership of Thomas Kemp, who also provides the informative contextual notes.'
Gramophone

'[...] compelling and vibrant performances [...] An essential addition for any audiophile'
HiRes Reviews

Credits
© 2012 Resonus Limited
Ⓟ 2012 Resonus Limited
Catalogue No. RES10106
Producer, engineer & editor: Adam Binks
Release date: 2 January 2012
EAN: 5060262790052
Cover Image: Hintergrund organisch by Wilm Ihlenfeld (Fotolia.com)