Gordon Gettyís Cantata, Joan And The Bells, Receives World Premiere Recording; Released On PentaTone Classics

Recorded In Hybrid SACD Format. Release Date August 26, 2003

30-Jun-03

Gordon Gettyís cantata, Joan And The Bells receives a world premiere recording on the PentaTone Classics label with distribution by Telarc in North America commencing August 26, 2003. Gettyís dramatic telling of the sentencing and death of Joan of Arc is performed by soprano, Lisa Delan, baritone, Vladimir Chernov, the Eric Ericson Chamber Choir and the Russian National Orchestra with Alexander Verdnikov conducting. The disc also includes the Second Suite from Prokofievís ever-popular ballet score, Romeo and Juliet.Joan and the Bells is a twenty-minute musical tour de force detailing the final days in the life of Joan of Arc. The piece is divided into three richly composed movements entitled ìJudgment,î ìJoan in Her Chamber,î and ìThe Square at Rouen.î Gettyís poignant score illuminates the cantata, especially the compelling central section of the work, which allows Joan to express her highly charged emotional state as she moves from steadfast defiance to complete acceptance of her unjust fate. This sectionís introspective lyricism contrasts sharply with the outer two movements, which are at times bombastic, dramatically charged and equally compelling in their scope. Gettyís penchant for writing and composing music for voice, chorus and large orchestra is in evidence throughout Joan and the Bells. The climatic moment with thousands of pealing bells as the title character triumphantly gains redemption is truly memorable. Getty has set his telling in a mythical language retaining well-known historical facts about Joan of Arc that are interwoven with fictional ideas penned by the composer. Gettyís libretto owes some of its inspiration for his own brand of poetic license to the works of George Bernard Shaw (whose own version of Joan of Arc depicted her as a spunky teenager) as well as Jean Anouihís The Lark. The composer noted that this cantata is ìa tale of a childís faith in an age without childhood, of a valor undeflected, and of the redemption these qualities commend.îJoan and the Bells is one of many compositions from this prolific composer. Getty studied piano with the late Robert Vetleson, as well as music theory at the San Francisco Conservatory of Music. Today he is a frequent visiting composer at universities and colleges across the United States and is the recipient of five honorary doctorates and additional recognition as an Outstanding American Composer at the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts in Washington, DC. The San Francisco Symphony, the Los Angeles Chamber Orchestra, and the BBC Philharmonic in London have performed his compositions for orchestra. Getty's song cycle of Emily Dickinson poetry entitled, The White Election was highly praised and performed at New York's Alice Tully Hall, Washington DC's National Gallery of Art, the Kennedy Center and San Franciscoís Herbst Theater among others. Other choral works include Victorian Scenes based upon the poetry of Tennyson and Houseman (performed by the Los Angeles Master Chorale and Sinfonia) as well as numerous chamber works for both string quartet and string chamber orchestra. Born in Los Angeles, the composer currently resides in San Francisco.This PentaTone Classic recording utilizes cutting edge technology consisting of hybrid SACD allowing for play in a standard CD player as well as in a ìsuper audioî system with surround format playable on a SACD player. All recordings on the PentaTone Classics label will be accordingly released in two layers. The first layer contains the normal CD technology and the second layer offers a high definition five-channel version with surround sound.