John Harle, a saxophonist with
Michael Nyman's band, composed
Terror & Magnificence as his first serious venture into classical music. The album straddles the lines between jazz and classical, relying more on chamber music than be-bop. Harle enlisted
the Balanescu Quartet as his main backing band, asking saxophonist
Andy Sheppard and soprano vocalist
Sarah Leonard to play on the record as well. But
Terror & Magnificence gained attention because of
Elvis Costello, who sings three Shakespearean songs that Harle set to music. These may be more authentic music than
The Juliet Letters, yet they aren't as graceful as Costello's collaboration with
the Brodsky Quartet. However, the remainder of
Terror & Magnificence is quite intriguing, and while
Costello fans will find it only of marginal interest, adventurous listeners would do well to give it a try. ~ Stephen Thomas Erlewine