Album

For listeners who know Elliott Carter primarily for the uncompromisingly spiky modernism of the style that crystallized around the midpoint of the century, the music he wrote before then may come as a surprise. Between 1936 and 1947, he wrote a number of substantial choral works, most of which are recorded here, that contradict the stereotype of Carter as a cerebral academician. These works are clearly the work of a master technician, constructed with exquisite care and precision, but they are also largely accessible. They are not easy listening, but their expressive content is potent, and revealed with clarity. Carter's music of this period is sometimes compared with Copland's, and there are similarities, but Carter's voice is distinctive: rigorously disciplined, deeply rooted in Renaissance counterpoint, and diligent in its avoidance of cliché or predictability. Carter deploys his choral forces in a variety of formulations: accompanied and a cappella, for mixed voices, and for men's or women's voices. Among the most appealing pieces are the unaccompanied mixed choruses, "Heart Not So Heavy As Mine," with a text by Emily Dickinson, and a setting of Robert Herrick's "To Music," which are especially emotionally direct. But all the pieces, even the more austere, like the cycle Emblems, are so evidently the work of such a quick intelligence and lively, witty inventiveness that they are a source of constant delight. Marcus Creed leads SWR Vokalensemble Stuttgart in committed performances that bring out both the warmth and steel in this music. The ensemble sings with pure, focused tone and a lovely blend. Hänssler Classics' life-like sound is clean, balanced, and ideally resonant.

© Stephen Eddins, All Music Guide

CD 1
Elliott Carter Composer Tarantella, for male chorus and orchestra Work Recorded 2008 Andreas Grau Piano, Cornelia Bend Choirmaster, Marcus Creed Conductor, SWR Stuttgart Vocal Ensemble Chorus/Choir, Gotz Schumacher Piano
1	Tarantella, for male chorus and orchestra	5:32			$0.99
Elliott Carter Composer Let's Be Gay, for female chorus and 2 pianos Work Recorded 2008 Andreas Grau Piano, Cornelia Bend Choirmaster, Marcus Creed Conductor, SWR Stuttgart Vocal Ensemble Chorus/Choir, Gotz Schumacher Piano
2	Let's Be Gay, for female chorus and 2 pianos	3:04			$0.99
Elliott Carter Composer Emblems, for male chorus and piano Work Recorded 2009 16:23 Cornelia Bend Choirmaster, Marcus Creed Conductor, SWR Stuttgart Vocal Ensemble Chorus/Choir, Gotz Schumacher Piano
3	1.Maryland, Virginia, Caroline	3:44			$0.99
4	2.When it is all over	9:44			$1.49
5	3.By the great river	2:55			$0.99
Elliott Carter Composer Heart not so heavy as mine Work Recorded 2008 Cornelia Bend Choirmaster, Marcus Creed Conductor, SWR Stuttgart Vocal Ensemble Chorus/Choir
6	Heart not so heavy as mine	5:09			$0.99
Elliott Carter Composer Musicians Wrestle Everywhere, for chorus and strings Work Recorded 2008 Cornelia Bend Choirmaster, Marcus Creed Conductor, SWR Stuttgart Vocal Ensemble Chorus/Choir
7	Musicians Wrestle Everywhere, for chorus and strings	3:14			$0.99
Elliott Carter Composer To Music Work Recorded 2008 Cornelia Bend Choirmaster, Marcus Creed Conductor, SWR Stuttgart Vocal Ensemble Chorus/Choir
8	To Music	7:50			$1.49
Elliott Carter Composer The Defense of Corinth, for chorus, for speaker, male chorus and piano, 4 hands Work Recorded 2008 Andreas Grau Piano, Cornelia Bend Choirmaster, Marcus Creed Conductor, SWR Stuttgart Vocal Ensemble Chorus/Choir, Gotz Schumacher Piano
9	The Defense of Corinth, for chorus, for speaker, male chorus and piano, 4 hands	13:16			$2.49
Elliott Carter Composer Harvest Home Work Recorded 2009 Cornelia Bend Choirmaster, Marcus Creed Conductor, SWR Stuttgart Vocal Ensemble Chorus/Choir
10	Harvest Home	3:42			$0.99