Reviewed by Steven Whitehead

In 55 minutes we travel through the opening chapters of Genesis. The scene is set by Schoenberg's "Prelude" in which he describes the state of things before God spoke to bring order from chaos. Shilkret repeats some of this in his take on "Creation" before the narration starts and the problems begin. One would not criticise the text and every word is audible but it all sounds so portentous that it becomes ridiculous and by the time we get to Tansman's "Adam And Eve" the Lord God sounds like a grumpy old man. If one can get beyond the narration there are some interesting things happening musically, especially as we move on to Milhaud's "Cain And Abel", Castelnuovo-Tedesco's "The Flood", and my favourite piece, Toch's "The Rainbow". However, the biggest name is saved to last with Stravinsky's "Babel" which we might have expected to reprise Schoenberg's chaotic "Prelude" but which is, in fact, the most melodic of all the tunes on offer. The key to understanding this curiosity is to note the date: in 1945 this was a bold reassertion of the Jewish faith as understood by some of the leading composers of the day. The words are timeless but, in truth, the music belongs to its day.

The opinions expressed in this article are not necessarily those held by Cross Rhythms. Any expressed views were accurate at the time of publishing but may or may not reflect the views of the individuals concerned at a later date.

Interested in reviewing music? Find out more here.