The Emperor and the Nightingale Naxos 8.572671
- Composer: Jenny McLeod
- Lyricists: Hans Christian Andersen, Leonora Blanche Alleyne Lang
- Conductor: Uwe Grodd
- Orchestra: New Zealand Symphony Orchestra
- Artists: Eugene Albulescu, Helen Medlyn
New Zealand-born composer Jenny McLeod’s wide musical background is here distilled into three works of highly enjoyable directness. The Emperor and the Nightingale is a colourful score which accompanies the narration of a Hans Christian Andersen fairy tale, and Three Celebrations conjures scenes of landscape and recreation familiar to New Zealanders. Performed by Grand Prix du Disque Liszt winning soloist Eugene Albulescu, the virtuoso Rock Concerto draws on popular music styles, placing these references in a strongly classical structure.
The Emperor and the Nightingale Review
Generously tuneful, even populist in a way, the music is nevertheless crafted with extreme care and emboldened with a wide-reaching imagination. There’s also an easygoing sincerity, yet devastating directness. McLeod’s celebration of modern idioms of rhythm and harmonic simplicity results in a work that not only captures the spirit of its time but also stands above it, with continuing relevance today. Thomas Goss – Radio New Zealand
Albulescu plays most beautifully here, spinning McLeod’s simple but effective lines with great tenderness. There is a real swing to the finale (“Rondo Latino”). Albulescu clearly has a great technique, as well as the capacity to enjoy himself, even under studio conditions.
The recording…is exemplary. Recommended. Colin Clarke – Fanfare