The Wordless Connection
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Composers often use wordless vocals in orchestral works to suggest magic or other-worldliness.
You might call them the “Wizards of Ahhhs”—composers who use wordless vocals along with instruments of the orchestra for an effect that can be soothing, sensual or unsettling—and sometimes all three.
In this hour, prime examples by Tchaikovsky, Debussy, Ravel, Nielsen, Holst, Vaughan Williams, and more.
FEATURED RECORDINGS
| CD Title |
Group/Artist |
Catalog # |
UPC |
| Debussy Orchestral Music |
Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra, Bernard Haitink |
Philips 438 742-2 |
028943874229 |
| Tchaikovsky: The Nutcracker |
St. Louis Symphony Orchestra, Leonard Slatkin |
RCA Red Seal RCD2-7005 |
078635700527 |
| Nielsen: Symphonies, Nos. 1-3 |
San Francisco Symphony Orchestra, Herbert Blomstedt |
Decca 2DF2460-985 |
00028946098523 |
| Ravel: Daphnis et Chloë |
London Symphony Orchestra and Chorus of the Royal Opera House, Covent Garden,, Pierre Monteux |
Decca 475 7525 |
028947575252 |
| Holst: The Planets |
Scottish National Orchestra & Chorus, Alexander Gibson |
Chandos CHAN 8302 |
095115663325 |
| Vaughan Williams: Sinfonia Antartica |
London Symphony Orchestra, André Previn |
RCA 6781-2-RG |
07863567812 |
| Ridout: Cello Concertos |
Gerard Leclerc (cello) and Laudibus |
Black Box BBM1037 |
680125103727 |
