CCC 037 - Judith Lang Zaimont

American composer Judith Lang Zaimont has written over 100 compositions, including three symphonies. Her works are full of emotion and harmonies in motion -- similar, I think, to the tone poems of Richard Strauss. Not that Zaimont is writing in such broad strokes. But her compositions seem to just sort of flow from one idea to the next in a logical and yet not totally predictable fashion. And it's her use of familiar musical concepts in unfamiliar ways that make her part of our Consonant Classical Challenge.

A child prodigy on the piano, it's little wonder that Zaimont has composed extensively for her chosen instrument. Serenade provides a good introduction to her compositional style. On the surface, the music has an immediate appeal. But it's the underlying texture that gives the work its depth and substance.
 

Beasts is an exciting work that shows how imaginative Zaimont can be as an orchestrator. Her use of percussion is particularly effective.

 

 At first blush, Borealis may not seem like a very tonal work. The opening motifs are somewhat angular and disjunct. But listen closely as the work develops. Disparate elements come together and blend, generating warm, triadic harmonies that should appeal to anyone who's comfortable with post-Romanticism.

 

Judith Lang Zaimont is well-regarded in professional music circles for the quality of the compositions. Her music (at least to my ears) has a refreshing directness about it, and an authenticity of emotion. It's music I'd like to see programmed more often (and hear live).

Recommended Recordings 

Art Fire Soul: Piano Works of Judith Lang Zaimont

Pure Colors - Music By Judith Lang Zaimont

Zaimont: Eternal Evolution