“RHYTHM SONG.” Evelyn Glennie, percussion; the National...

“RHYTHM SONG.” Evelyn Glennie, percussion; the National Philharmonic Orchestra, conducted by Barry Wordsworth. RCA 60242-2-RC. This basically pops disc is endlessly dazzling in Glennie’s fleet mallet work, fully articulate at the highest speeds. In the minimalist title track by Paul Smadbeck and Glennie’s improvisation on a theme by Keiko Abe, it goes a level further in terms of nuance and substance. The sound is clean and well-balanced, with the orchestral contributions incidental afterthoughts except in Saint-Saens’ “Introduction and Rondo Capriccioso.”