may be gone from the , but not to worry, the archives seem to hold many examples of his long and productive collaboration with that group. Consider this group of live recordings from the Barbican in London made between 2018 and 2021. has long had as a specialty, but he has apparently never recorded the , heard here, and the album is worth one's money and time for this performance alone. The that concludes the album is often proffered as not only an introduction to the instruments of the orchestra but as one to 's music in general. However, the might work just as well for this. It is not in the top tier of most-often-performed works, but it is marvelous, with a variety of texts about the season matched to settings that seem to reveal a new facet of 's style at every turn. holds all the forces, which involve four different choirs and a diverse group of soloists together in a vivid, exciting performance with strong forward motion. The opening , stands in sharp, effective contrast to the . The work was commissioned by the Japanese government in 1939 but was rejected in what might have been a sign of things to come; it is a deeply serious work that had personal overtones for . This is a fine album that will remind many listeners of why they fell in love with 's music in the first place and maybe earn it some new fans. ~ James Manheim