What would be a better thing to do at 3 AM than make a CD recommendation? At least I can say that it would be difficult for me to exaggerate the greatness of this one: which would be a Naxos recording of Sir Malcolm Arnold's Symphony No. 5. Given this is my first exposure to this Malcolm Arnold's work, I can't offer a relative critique of the performance (which is certainly good from where I stand). But, I can say that his Symphony No. 5 is a brilliant piece of music. What is immediately striking is the use of timpani, bells, and the harp as driving forces within the music, as opposed to their typical roles as back-drops. You'll notice this right away in the very first movement (which I found particularly gripping). Then by the time we reach the second movement a more modest theme (that evolves into the primary theme of the symphony) is introduced. But, just wait till you reach the very end and you hear this interesting motif in the flute section -- which sounds like something that came out of a civil war battle march -- layered on-top of a sort of "drone" within the orchestra. Definitely something I would like to hear performed live. I must admit that I haven't heard much about this composer until my brother brought this recording to my attention. After looking the composer up on Wikipedia, it turns out that he has unfortunately passed away only two years ago. Indeed, 85 years is a good run but I can't help but be concerned that the pool of great composers is shrinking. In terms of others that are still alive, Rautavaara comes to mind, but I can not think of many others. This tangent aside, this CD is a must-have and has motivated me to keep an eye out for other recordings of his symphonies. Alright, this would conclude what is apparently my inaugural post to music.onsrc.
