Leifs: Dettifoss and Other Orchestral Works

Dettifoss is the largest waterfall in Iceland--indeed, in Europe. Leifs's tone poem, which features a chorus and baritone soloist in addition to a colorfully large orchestra, is the third in a trilogy of works that celebrate Iceland's natural wonders (the other two are Hekla and Geysir). The music is simply thrilling, proceeding from a misty beginning to a progressively raging torrent as the vocal soloists hail the power and majesty of the waterfall. The Organ Concerto is a single movement, 20 minutes in length, that moves from an anguished opening (chord clusters, pounding drums, and a sledgehammer for good measure) to a triumphant conclusion.

Leifs's music tends to deal in extremes, and if the first two works reveal him as one of the loudest composers in history, then Fine II does just the opposite. Scored for strings and vibraphone, this exquisite miniature offers six and a half minutes of quietly elegiac meditation. The Pastoral Variations, by contrast, take a tune from Beethoven's popular Septet and somehow turn it into Icelandic folk music. It's a charming work with more than a little humor built in. Performances are uniformly marvelous (the chorus is especially brave--the vocal line is murderous), and the sound is demonstration-quality. If you want to test your hi-fi system, crank up the volume and let rip with the Organ Concerto or Dettifoss. But warn the neighbors first! --David Hurwitz