Donald Runnicles - Britannia (2007) [SACD]

You might expect that a disc called Britannia with a photograph of the white cliffs of Dover on the cover would start with a Pomp and Circumstance March by Elgar. And so it does on this 2007 Telarc release with Donald Runnicles leading the Atlanta Symphony Orchestra. But while the disc starts with a Pomp and Circumstance March, it's not No. 1 but No. 4. And the program just gets wilder from there. With nary a trace of Delius or Vaughan Williams to be found, Runnicles continues with three works by contemporary British composers: Peter Maxwell Davies' grand and glorious An Orkney Wedding, with Sunrise, Mark-Anthony Turnage's hideously howling Three Screaming Popes, and James MacMillan's raucous and bumptious Britannia. Runnicles' program climaxes with Benjamin Britten's tragic yet transcendent Sinfonia da Requiem, then follows it with the Pomp and Circumstance March No. 1 with its "Land of Hope and Glory" Trio as a sort of ironic coda. While likely to frighten listeners seeking The First Cuckoo in Spring or The Lark Ascending, this disc will thrill and delight listeners looking for the next big thing from Britain. The Atlanta plays brilliantly with a bright tone, a sleek ensemble, and amazing virtuosity, while Runnicles conducts splendidly with a clean beat, telling gestures, a superb sense of balance, and a strong feeling for form. Together, they turn in performances that individually rank among the best ever recorded and as a whole form an exciting addition to the catalog. Produced by Elaine Martone and engineered by Michael Bishop, Telarc's digital sound is colorful, immediate, and very, very big. -- James Leonard