Review of “Stresses in the Peaceable Kingdom”
This disc compiles the complete choral music of Richard Wilson . . . . Wilson's choral music is based on tonality, with use, for example, of fourth-based or whole-tone harmonies, along with other standard 20th-century approaches. He wisely keeps the voices moving in smooth, usually stepwise motion; he sets the texts in a straightforward way, generally syllabically. Pulse is steady, for the most part. The chorus is occasionally asked to speak, but Wilson avoids other kinds of non-traditional excursions . . . . [Appling's choristers] achieve a nicely refined surface appropriate for the Wilson's equally refined, very idiomatic, and straightforward choral writing. There's no Verdi here; Thomson and Schuman come to mind as direct predecessors, not overly dramatic, more subtle than bombastic, and generally following the lead of the text. Recommended for fans of the choral genre.
Fanfare Magazine
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