DOMINICK ARGENTO (b.1927): Jonah and the Whale.

Description: Dating from 1973, this was among the first of what Argento calls his "macaronic" compositions, in which the mixture of a wide variety of musical idioms, textual themes, languages, tempos, etc. produce striking moments through their juxtaposition. Jonah uses a 14th century English text, parts of the Vulgate Psalms, a 17th century Protestant hymnal, the King James Bible, traditional work songs and sea shanties (Jonah sings one of the latter on the boat before the storm). The orchestra is only three trombones, percussion, piano, harp and organ and the choral writing is as masterful and gripping as you'd expect from Argento. Texts included. Thomas Oakes (narrator), Daniel Norman (tenor), Daniel Cole (bass), Providence Singers, Boston Modern Orchestra Project; Andrew Clark.