Conductor or Composer?

To get down to it, I like the music here, but I find it hard to revisit these amateur performances.

I love the fact these Detroit folks came together and dedicated their time to revealing the unknown music of a renowned conductor. Their dedication has my undying support.

I just won't hide that this is a local-sounding performance. One would hope these would spur some professionals to take up some of this intriguing music from across Grotto's many volumes of Paray's music, but that doesn't seem to have happened.

Too bad.

A review from 2020

Paul Paray comes from a line of composer/conductors who have internationally respected recordings from their orchestral leading, yet have relatively unknown compositions to their name. Most famous for leading the Detroit Symphony Orchestra for most of the 1950’s, Paray’s music is attractive and approachable, colourful and vivid, most decidedly turn-of-the-century French, and it is a shame that it is not heard more often.

Fr. Eduard Perrone and his parish of The Church of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary (The Assumption Grotto Church in Detroit, Michigan) has sought to undo Paray’s silence on record through what is now around 7 volumes of his music, including this 2nd volume of his oratorios: The 45-minute Joan of Arc (not to be confused with Paray’s more famous mass setting; this is a different work with a similar title) and the 25-minute Pastoral de Noël, a Christmas oratorio. The Christmas oratorio is a perky, colourful, delightful bon-bon against Joan of Arc’s more dramatic narrative, both well worth hearing and both receiving their first world premier recordings.

The Assumption Grotto Orchestra, in what I assume is a pick-up ensemble, is pretty good with instances of nitpicky aspects that keep it from being confused with a professional ensemble. The wind work is especially nice, and the ensemble is led with authority by Perrone. Joan of Arc, to my ears, is a little more polished sounding than the Christmas Oratorio, but the spirit of playing is so affecting in the Pastoral de Noël.

There is a ton of solo voice in these works and tenor David Troiano leads the pack with quality singing in the Christmas Oratorio, followed closely by a wonderful duet between Joan of Arc and the Friar in the concluding tracks of that work. The rest come and go briefly in various local voice qualities, that, even if they are not to my liking, rarely outstay their welcome. I do wish Joan and her female duettist were of a different voice type, but this Michigan team of soloists work well.

The chorus is definitely a community affair. What they lack in professional technique and authentic French pronunciation, they make up for in spirit and enthusiasm. The end of ‘The Epic’ in Joan of Arc is rousing and well sung, and the concluding chorus in the same work makes a fitting conclusion; if only this chorus had captured lightning in the bottle for the rest of their efforts. I can’t come down too hard, though, on a recording that is most definitely a devoted love letter to the music of Paul Paray, especially since this is the only recording available of this music.

I can definitely recommend the recordings of Paul Paray’s symphonies and his piano music. If there were more recordings of Paray’s oratorio music available, this would be a four-star recording for the music and the top-billed soloists, but only two-stars for the community aspect in the chorus, occasional orchestral moments, and some of the provincial soloists. That said, I am glad to have heard this recording and would recommend any curious passerbys to do the same; hopefully we will get some more advocacy for Paray’s choral/orchestral music.

Works
Christmas Pastorale (27.10)
Joan of Arc Oratorio (47.20)

Performers
David Troiano, tenor
Assumption Grotto Orchestra & Choir
Fr. Eduard Perrone, conductor

Label: Grotto
Year: 2002
Total Timing: 74.30

 

 

I receive zero pleasure throwing this one to The Kraken.

This is an obvious labor of love from people who love music, who love a conductor associated with their city. We would all benefit from our communities and leaders taking such positive artistic action.

Despite really liking the Christmas Cantata, I wouldn't recommend this recording, unless there was someone who really had to hear all of Paray's compositions.

Maybe I will throw me to The Kraken. 😞

 

Find more Paray recordings HERE!