Excerpts from reviews of “The Revenge of Hamish”
The music ranges far and wide on this disc of choral works by William McClelland, embracing everything from Scottish folklorism and pop to many-layered, traditional a cappella writing. Whatever the style, the composer finds lucid and evocative solutions to the challenges posed by the poems, all in English, which are set with such skill that it is almost possible to forgo the texts in the booklet.
The 14 selections range from sonnets to more extended works, including a striking ballad, “The Revenge of Hamish,” with words by 19th-century American poet Sidney Lanier. The narrative is violent and even harrowing, full of atmosphere and dramatic incident, and McClelland deftly employs folk elements to achieve local colour.
Elsewhere, the composer’s fertile contrapuntal imagination can be heard in a varied array of shorter pieces, notably the a cappella “Five Sonnets for Men’s Voices,” set to texts by Millay, Berryman, Aiken, E.E. Cummings and Wilbur. The last poet also provides the inspiration for “A Wood,” a dream of a tonal and vocal landscape with chorus and wind quintet joining rapturous, piquant forces.
“The Ballad of Don and Dan” recounts the tale of a homicidal father and son in Montana in 1984. Ian Frazier’s text encourages McClelland to go eclectic and gospel-tinged vernacular, which he does with a winning vengeance. The story isn’t pretty, but the music works.
The William Appling Singers and Orchestra perform each piece with keen attention to words, blend and phrasing, and the instrumentalists are exceptional advocates for McClelland’s appealingly direct manner of expression.
Donald Rosenberg, Gramaphone Magazine
Like so many composers of our moment, William McClelland is fully at home in a multiplicity of styles, and we are treated to a wide range of them on this release—from the tonally ambivalent parallel harmonies of “Song for the Rainy Season,” the pop-inflections of “The Ballad of Don and Dan,” the rarefied hymnody (sometimes jazz inflected) of the “Five Sonnets for Men’s Voices” and the ecologically inspired “Collect Pond,” the symphonic grandeur of “A Wood,” the offhand counterpoint of “Wolf Moon” . . . to the ethnically Scottish flavors of “The Revenge of Hamish.” Withal, a distinctively American composer’s voice emerges, and it is both an imaginative and compelling one.
“The Ballad of Don and Dan,” inspired by a local newspaper account of a crime in Montana in 1984, and “The Revenge of Hamish,” motivated by a section of a 19th-century Scottish novel by William Black, are the two major pieces on this offering. Both show McClelland to be an accomplished balladeer able to sustain a prolix narrative through time. Some of this program is a cappella. Other numbers offer diverse instrumentations that deftly underscore the subtexts of the poems. In all cases, that point where language ends and music begins is magically blurred.
The choral work is excellent and the instrumentalists play with both exactitude and enthusiasm, revealing a composer who is more than worthy of our attentions.
Charles Ives pioneered this concept of integrating the pop music of his time (hymns, parlor tunes, patriotic airs, ragtime, etc.) into his symphonic creations, and here William McClelland, in his homages to the musics of our time, continues that hallowed tradition.
William Zagorski, Fanfare Magazine
Choral music by the contemporary American composer and pianist William McClelland takes the center stage in this recording by the William Appling Singers, an excellent ensemble of New York City instrumentalists and singers.
With its eclecticism, McClelland’s musical language sounds typically American—if I may say so from a European point of view. It feeds off various sources and is inspired by jazz and gospel, Scottish-Irish folk music, popular ballads as well as the long and prolific tradition of romantic Anglo-American choral music. McClelland’s compositional personality, however, succeeds in giving this amalgam consistency and a raison d’être. His style lends itself remarkably well to choral works, his musical means simple but very effective, his harmonies full of energy and color. From plain, hymn-like a cappella arrangements to choral ballads accompanied by various instruments, the pieces cover a broad spectrum. The texts that are set to music are among the great treasures of American poetry, including works by Edna St. Vincent Millay and E.E. Cummings. Personally, I was particularly touched by the final piece, “Good Speaking,” which presents the profoundly human message of the text in a plain yet moving form.
The quality of interpretation and recording leave nothing to be desired, the music resounding with the dedicated passion of the singers and instrumentalists. Had the record label supplied a translation of the verses, this fantastic product would no doubt be able to enthrall an even wider group of fans. A wonderful CD, to which I will certainly listen many, many times!
Hans Braun, Klassik-Heute (Germany)
William McClelland grew up near Goodison in Michigan surrounded by music of all kinds, and this eclecticism is reflected in the recent CD of his choral works, the title work on which is the most substantial of the collection—a fearful tale of a Highland deer hunt that went badly, colourfully set with the accompaniment of Celtic fiddle, bodhran and piano, haunted as it is by jigs and reels that capture the atmosphere of 19th century Scotland.
Another ballad concerns the very American tale of Don and Dan Nichols, based on a news story of 20 years ago in which was reported a kidnap and murder by a father and son in the Madison Mountains of Montana. McClelland’s style moves from the appealing homophonic presentations of, for instance, “Collect Pond,” a remarkable hymn in praise of removing plastic bags from trees(!) and the final “Good Speaking,” to the weaving lines of “Dark Clouds Bring Waters,” text by John Bunyan, which seems reminiscent of Kodály .
The “Five Sonnets for Men’s Voices” comprise an effective and subtly contrasted cycle culminating in a moving setting of a Richard Wilbur poem, “June Light,” that has a medieval atmosphere. Another Wilbur poem, “A Wood,” for mixed voices, in praise of woodland trees, introduces a wind quintet which provides an interlude between the last two verses.
The performances sound well, as indeed they should under the careful direction of leading choral conductor William Appling.
Patrick Standfors, Music & Vision Magazine
[T]he selections on this CD, “The Revenge of Hamish and Other Choral Works,” reflect a broad span of musical influences. The music manages to be listener-friendly without any pandering.
One of the most striking selections is “The Ballad of Don and Dan” which is based on a 1984 kidnapping and murder case in Western Montana. Father and son Don and Dan Nichols, two men on a survivalist fantasy, kidnapped an Olympic athlete to become Dan’s mate. They murdered one of the woman’s friends who had tried to rescue her. Writer Ian Frazier turned notes for a magazine article into an intriguing free verse ballad. McClelland’s setting of the text is appealing and witty with a recurring refrain, variations on “It was an idea, and it didn’t work.” Effective use is made of fine soloists from within the chorus and the text is imaginatively tossed between different sections of the chorus. Livelier portions are accompanied by a small jazz combo with prominent percussion and guitar. Top university choruses ought to consider this for their touring repertory.
Most of the selections make use of minimal forces, most often piano accompaniment. “The Revenge of Hamish” is the longest work and gives the album its title. It is a splendid setting of the Sidney Lanier poem. The clear and subtle use of the chorus and instrumental ensemble sustains the dramatic buildup to the tragic ending. A glossary of Scottish words used in the poem is included in the fine CD booklet, along with full texts.
A cappella singing is featured in “Five Sonnets for Men’s Voices,” which are appealing arrangements of poems as diverse as Edna St. Vincent Millay’s “Oh, Think Not I Am Faithful to a Vow!” and E. E. Cummings’s “i have found what you are like.” The choir’s crisp diction and warm tone are sure to please.
Classical Voice of North Carolina
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