Barber: Knoxville, Summer of 1915 / Essays for Orchestra Nos. 2 and 3

This fifth installment in Naxos's Barber series is conducted by 2003 Gramophone Artist of the Year Marin Alsop. This disc features the richly romantic Knoxville: Summer of 1915, a `lyric rhapsody' for soprano and orchestra, sung by Karina Gauvin, who has rapidly established a reputation for excellence internationally. Her charismatic performances fuse a brilliant voice, with an elegant style, and masterful interpretation. The Second Essay for Orchestra is widely regarded as the tightest, most incisive of the three compositions bearing this title; some even consider it a single movement symphony more than an essay—it is densely packed, and more happens in its scant ten minutes than in some works which sprawl for half an hour. The rarely-recorded Toccata Festiva for organ and orchestra which, with its fast, furious opening fanfare and virtuosic cadenza, is a veritable tour deforce for the soloist.