Patrick Kavanaugh, Christian Performing Arts Fellowship - A Taste For The Classics
STYLE: Classical RATING OUR PRODUCT CODE: 7655-7415 LABEL: Sparrow SPD 1372 FORMAT: CD Album
Reviewed by John Irvine
At last, Christian artists performing real classical music and not orchestral versions of hymns and choruses (the aural equivalent of mutton dressed as lamb). Here we have an hour of well known classics by Rimsky-Korsakoff, Bach, Beethoven and others. Apart from the complete "Pathetique" piano sonata by Beethoven and the Rimsky-Korsakoff, all the other pieces are, unfortunately, extracts from pieces. Hence presumably the title 'A Taste...'. The danger here is trying to provide just enough to whet the appetite, and ending up leaving the listener completely unsatisfied. Expecting a feast, we're told to bring a packed lunch instead. Perhaps it would have been better to record and release a series of complete works and use a taster disc to encourage punters to buy the lot. Anyway, it's a promising start. Anything's got to be better than that third rate series of licensed recordings that Nelson Word put out recently. Performances here were very good, but not quite special enough to set the heart ablaze - I've got much better recordings of the Beethoven and Bach in my collection already. But as an introduction to a newcomer, it's very good. Investigate.
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