Eternal Ring

Nuria Rial and Lothar Odinius are the stars of the show. Rial has a fine voice, and excellent diction, and her text expression is mostly very good. The arias 'Pious orgies' and 'O liberty, thou choicest treasure' are two examples. She also performs the recitatives in a truly declamatory style. A particularly telling example of her treatment of the text is the delightful aria 'So shall the lute and harp awake' (act 3). Lothar Odinius shows the same qualities, and I was especially impressed with his differentiated performance of the coloratura passages in his arias. Like Nuria Rial he performs the recitatives very well. The aria 'Call forth thy pow'rs' (act 1) and the aria with chorus 'Sound an alarm' (act 2) are particularly well done.

Francis Ford Coppola took an inspired gamble in hiring the Polish composer to realise his Gothic stage production made for the cinema screen. Nothing about Kilar conforms to Hollywood. His classical works and earlier European films for the likes of Polanski and Zanussi, show a style based upon a repetitive form that insinuates itself upon the ear until it becomes unforgettable. "Vampire Hunters" is a superb example, being a cyclic string and brass motif that develops an exciting dynamic by revolving between keys. A pounding drum keeps time and rhythm for a flawlessly edited scene of destroying the vampire's lair. There is also the exquisite theme for Mina and Dracula, which in "Love Remembered" is presented on the composer's favoured instrument, flute. Again, it's through instrumental interchange across repetitions of the theme that the piece achieves its effect. A little sound design ("The Ring Of Fire") offers pause before the tender choral dénouement. Despite the tail-end pop song, this was a blockbuster debut without precedent.

Cet oratorio postérieur au Messie passe pour avoir conservé les faveurs du public depuis sa création en 1747. Pourtant il n’existe actuellement que deux versions enregistrées disponibles, dont une seule sur instruments baroques. La sortie de cet enregistrement live de 2006, avec toute la technique la plus sophistiquée du moment, fait donc figure d’événement.

John Kerr, G.E.N.E., Dancing Fantasy, Deuter, Ron Boots, Rick Wakeman, Software, Frank Fischer and many more.

Cannibal Corpse will be releasing a box set to commemorate their 25th anniversary: Dead Human Collection: 25 Years of Death Metal. The box contains: all 12 full length studio albums in a 12 CD foldout case with new artwork, “Torturing and Eviscerating LIVE” on CD and LP Picture Disc recorded in Tampa, FL 2010 / Milwaukee, WI 2012, PLUS: NEW EXCLUSIVE images by VINCE LOCKE, 12"X12" graphic prints of all 13 original album covers, and a 2013 Cannibal Corpse Calendar.