Adolf Busch Orchestral Works Volume One continues fine series

Adolf Busch is best remembered as one of the greatest violinists of the early 20th Century. He was the founder of the Busch Quartet. Busch made many ground-breaking recordings over the years, both as a soloist and with his quartet.

Not as well-known are Busch's compositions. This release may help change that. Busch freely acknowledged the influence of his good friend Max Reger. Like Reger, Busch was comfortable with tonality. And like Reger, his view of tonality was highly individualistic.

This release features some of Busch's works for chamber orchestra. And what a great place to start. The Divertimento for 13 Solo Instruments, Op. 30 is a real charmer. It's a good-humored work, and some of the movements play against expectations.  

Another standout is the Five Songs for high voice and chamber orchestra, Op. 11b. The work was available for voice and piano,  as well as voice and chamber orchestra. To me, these songs sit stylistically between Mahler and Strauss. 

Rich harmonies and flowing accompanying figures support the voice. The melodies are evocative and expressive. Busch's texts express some of the dark emotions as Mahler and Strauss. And they're just as effective here. 

Lisa Wittig sings with a warm tone. She delivers the text with clarity and subtle expression. For me, these were miniature masterworks. 

Ulrich Wagner conducts the BuschKollegium. The ensemble has a nice, compact sound. The soloists of the Divertimento are especially fine. Their chemistry elevates the music even further. 

Very much looking forward to volume two. 

Adolph Busch: Orchestral Works, Volume One
Music for Chamber Orchestra
Lisa Wittig, soprano
BuschKollegium; Ulrich Wagner, conductor
Toccata Classics TOCC 0671

African Pianism: Volume 2 - Still much to explore

I'm sorry I missed volume one of this series. Not to worry. After auditioning this release, I went back and picked up a copy. Volume Two continues Rebeca Ormordia's exploration of African piano music. 

There's a lot to explore. Africa is a large continent with many cultures and many musical traditions. In some cases, Western classical traditions provide the frame for African musical gestures. For others, African thumb piano music are translated into Western piano technique. 

An example of the latter is "Cry of Joy" by Ethiopian composer Yifrashewa Girma. It's a fascinating work that sounds fresh and vibrant on the modern piano. 

Salim Dada uses the other approach. Traditional Algerian motifs are used in this Debussy-inspired suite. "Miniatures Algeriennes" has authenticity. It's an authenticity Western composers' "oriental" music misses. 

Benabdeljalil Nabil has four works on the album. This Moroccan composer is concerned with "the poetic essence of musical expression." There are almost no folk elements here, nor obvious Western traditions. Rather, these works truly express the ideas of a creative individual -- Benabdeljalil. 

Nigerian composer Akin Eurba has three selections from his "Study in African Pianism." Here the blend of African and Western European traditions seems perfectly balanced. 

Omordia includes a few outliers, too. Florence Price's "Negre in E minor" is one. The music shows traces of African traditions but filtered through African-American culture.

Rebeca Omordia is a tremendous musician. She makes every work sound simple and natural. 

If nothing else, this release shows how varied African classical music is. This could well be an open-ended series. I suspect there are more truly great African piano music awaiting international discovery. 

African Pianism, Volume 2
Rebeca Omordia, piano
SOMM Recordings SOMM 0688

#ClassicsaDay #NorthAmClassics Week 4, 2024

Two countries celebrate their independence in July -- and they just happen to be neighbors. On July 1, 1867, three separate British colonies were officially united. United Canadas, Nova Scotia, and New Brunswick became Canada. 

On July 4, 1776, thirteen separate British colonies were officially united, becoming the United States of America.

The #ClassicsaDay challenge for July is to post music by Canadian and American composers. Both countries have created their own forms of classical music, independent of Europe's. 

Here are my social media posts for the fourth week of #NorthAmClassics. As in past years, I alternate between Canadian and American composers. 

07/22/24 Alan Hovhaness (1911-2000): Symphony No. 1, Op. 17 "Exile Symphony"

Hovhaness' first symphony was premiered by the NBC Symphony Orchestra under Leopold Stokowski. Stokowski would broadcast and record Hovhaness' first three symphonies.

 

07/23/24 Alfred La Liberté (1882–1952) - Arabesque

La Liberté was a pianist and composer. He was a faculty member of the Canadian Conservatory of Music in Ottawa. He admired the music of Scriabin, and over time the two became close friends.

 

07/24/24 Harry Partch (1901-1974) - Sonata Dementia

Partch was a true outsider. He developed his own 43-note scale, his own musical theory based on it, and his own instruments capable of playing it.

 

07/25/24 Jocelyn Morlock (1969-2023) -half-light, somnolent rains

Morlock was composer-in-residence for the Vancouver Symphony. She died at age 54, cutting short a brilliant career.

 

07/26/24 Florence Price (1887-1953) - Violin Concerto No. 2

Price completed her second violin concerto a year before her death in 1953. For years it was considered lost. But in 2009 it was rediscovered in her former residence in Chicago during a remodeling.

 

Francisco Mignone: Concertos and Concertinos

Is there a way to subscribe to The Music of Brazil series from Naxos? I've auditioned quite a few, and there isn't a clunker in the bunch. 

This latest installment is a collection of concertos and concertinos by Francisco Mignone. Mignone was one of Brazil's most important composers. He's often ranked just under Heitor Villa-Lobos in stature. 

As a boy, Mignone played popular music in the Choro style. He had his own orchestra at 13, performing and writing under the name Chico Bororó. He wanted to keep his work in popular music separate from his serious studies. 

It may have worked on paper, but not in practice. Mignone imbues his music with the rhythms and melodies of Brazilian folk music. It came to define the Brazilian classical style, as these four works demonstrate.

The 1975 Guitar Concerto blends several Brazilian dance elements in its finale. The 1957 Bassoon Concerto features extended dialogues between the soloist and the ensemble. Here Mignone references the traditions of embolada, a form of Brazilian poetry. 

The 1960 Violin Concerto has a different character. Mignon strove for a more cosmopolitan style, and he mostly succeeded. But there's still no doubt as to the work's country of origin. 

The São Paulo Symphony Orchestra has been a mainstay for this series. And they don't disappoint. The ensemble plays with energy and finesse. 

Another fine addition to this exceptional series.

Francisco Mignone: Concertos and Concertinos
Guitar Concerto; Clarinet Concertino;
Bassoon Concertino; Violin Concerto
Emmanuele Baldini, violin; Fabio Zanon, guitar;
Ovanir Buosi, clarinet, Alexandre Silverio, bassoon
Sao Paulo Symphony Orchestra; Neil Thomson, Giancarlo Guerroro, conductors
Naxos 8574573

Janis Kepitis: Piano Miniatures from the Manuscripts, Volume Two

I really enjoyed the first volume in this series. I like this volume even more. Janis Kepitis was a major composer, performer, and teacher in his native Latvia. He was head of the Department of Chamber Music for the Latvian Academy of Music. As such, he influenced many of the students who came through the school. 

By all accounts, Kepitis was kind and generous. And those traits show in his music. Volume One featured a sampling of his many piano miniatures. Latvia was under Soviet control after World War II. The same political restrictions placed on Soviet composers were inflicted on Latvian composers -- if not more so. 

Kepitis' piano miniatures were written for personal use, as a safe outlet for his creativity. Volume One collected a number of his stand-alone miniatures. This volume focuses on his piano suites. 

Keptitis was a genius miniaturist. Most of these movements are very short and seemingly very simple. But every note does double -- if not triple -- duty.  The individual movements in these suites always total more than the sum of the parts. 

The album opens with "Snowflakes." Three of the movements depict snowfall in very different ways. Yet every one evokes the image of snow. Kepitis quotes "Lo, How a Rose E're Blooming," tinging it with wistful nostalgia. 

The other suites are equally effective. "Impressions of an Evening" sounds Debussy-adjacent. While impressionistic, it's clearly not French, nor in anyone's voice but Kepitis'. 

The two sets of "Mood Paintings" are also impressive. Listen to these suites straight through.  You'll hear a world being built around you, movement by movement. 

Nora Luse turns in another set of tremendous performances. She gives these suites a sense of direction, embuing them with a narrative thread.

Also included is a recording of Kepitis performing one of his own piano works. It simply confirms the obvious. Kepitis was an accomplished pianist of great technical ability. And musicianship to match. 

Are there more Kepitis miniatures awaiting recording? Gosh, I sure hope so. 

Janis Kepitis: Piano Miniatures from the Manuscripts, Volume Two
Nora Luse, Janis Kepitis, piano
Toccata Classics TOCC 0721

The Nordic String Quartet Excells with Gudmundsen-Holmgreen

This is the second volume of Pelle Gudmundsen-Holmgreen from Dacapo. The Nordic String Quartet has set itself quite a task. Gudmundsen-Holmgreen wrote fourteen string quartets over 27 years. 

And during that same time, he went through four stylistic sea changes. Each change was in stark contrast to the one before. So in essence, the Nordic Quartet has to master four different playing styles. 

Three of the works on this release were commissioned and premiered by Kronos Quartet. String Quartet No. 7 was written in Gudmundsen-Holmgreen's New Simplicity style. Everything's pared down to its essentials -- and then some. 

Superficially, the work can sound minimalist, but it's not. Gudmundsen-Holmgreen uses minimal materials. But his use of them eschews the thrumming rhythms of Steve Reich or Philip Glass.

String Quartet No. 8 (1986) was also written for Kronos. Composed two years after No. 7, it shows Gudmundsen-Holmgreen moving towards a new style. In it, he tests the limits of the instruments and the ensemble. The quartet plays a ground bass pattern that morphs into increasingly complex forms.

Fast forward to 2006. Gudmundsen-Holmgreen's String Quartet No. 9 is for string quartet plus electronics. The composer concentrated on the sound of the natural world -- another change in style. This work also features a ground that serves as a foundation rather than a catalyst.

Gudmundsen-Holmgreen had a reputation for wry humor. And that's the basis of his String Quartet No. 10. It's based on Pachelbel's "Canon in D." Sort of. With a twist. If you're tired of that canon, listen to this work. It should bring a smile to your face. And if you do like it, well, listen to the work. You might gain an insight into that warhorse.

The Nordic String Quartet performs each work to near perfection. I'm looking forward to the next volume -- which may be the most challenging yet.

Pelle Gudmundsen-Holmgreen: Complete String Quartets, Vol. 2
Nordic String Quartet
Dacapo CD 8.226218

#ClassicsaDay #NorthAmClassics Week 3, 2024

Two countries celebrate their independence in July -- and they just happen to be neighbors. On July 1, 1867, three separate British colonies were officially united. United Canadas, Nova Scotia, and New Brunswick became Canada. 

On July 4, 1776, thirteen separate British colonies were officially united, becoming the United States of America.

The #ClassicsaDay challenge for July is to post music by Canadian and American composers. Both countries have created their own forms of classical music, independent of Europe's. 

Here are my social media posts for the second week of #NorthAmClassics. As in past years, I alternate between Canadian and American composers. 

07/15/24 J. E. P. Aldous (1853–1934): Prelude and Fugue in D minor

Aldous emigrated from England to become the organist for Central Presbyterian Church in Hamilton, Ontario. Most of his compositions were short works for organ and choirs.

 

07/16/24 Lukas Foss: Baroque Variations for Orchestra (1967)

Foss was a classmate of Leonard Bernstein and later replaced Arnold Schoenberg on the faculty at UCLA in the 1950s. His music was admired by his contemporaries for its quality and accessibility.

 

07/17/24 Henri Miro (1879–1950): Please

Miro was a pioneering conductor for the CBC in the 1930s. At one time his orchestral compositions were part of almost every Canadian orchestra's repertoire.

 

07/18/24 C.L. Barnhouse (1865-1929): The Messagner March

Barnhouse was a self-taught cornet player from West Virginia. In 1888 he began publishing works for concert bands. Municipal bands were trending, and there was a ready market for quality (yet easy to play) band music.

 

07/19/24 W.H. Anderson (1882–1955): Give Ear to My Words, O Lord"

Bronchitus turned Anderson from singing to composing. Most of this Canadian's works were written for choral ensembles.

 

Mirage: Solid Piano Works by Stephen Dodgson

This release is the fourth collection of Stephen Dodgon's music on SOMM. So far the label has issued two volumes of songs and one of choral works. This album of piano music samples the full range of Dodgon's career. 

And most of the works are world-premiere recordings. I'm hoping there's at least one more volume of Dodgson's piano music planned. Because I found the music on this release quite appealing. 

One of the most interesting works is the 1953 Rondo in A-flat. It's available as a free bonus download for CD purchasers. But the Rondo is included on the digital and streaming versions of the album.

Its continually shifting meters give the Rondo a fluidity I really enjoyed. Osman Tack performs with a light dexterity that adds charm to an already appealing work. 

Dodgson wrote seven piano sonatas throughout his career. The last one, subtitled "The Loddon" is included in this program. The Basingstoke Concert Club commissioned the work in 2003.

The sonata is a well-crafted three-movement work. There's motivic development over the course of the sonata. Dodgson's manipulation of his material is both subtle and organic. 

Also included are four collections of short works. All show Dodgson's mastery of miniatures. And also his seemingly unbounded creative imagination. 

A welcome addition to this ongoing series. 

Mirage: The Piano Music of Stephen Dodgson
Osman Tack, piano
SOMM Recordings SOMMCD 0684

CPE Bach and Antonin Kraft Cello Concertos - Worth Exploring

This release has an interesting premise. Jean-Guihen Queyras presents two cello concertos that bookend the Classical Era. Carl Philipp Emanuel Bach composed his Concerto in B flat major Wq 171 in 1751. 

The Baroque style, as embodied by his father, was waning. Elegance and directness were replacing ornamentation and complexity. Bach's concerto anticipates the aesthetic of Haydn and Mozart.

Antonin Kraft was a virtuoso cellist who played under Haydn for Count Esterhazy. In Vienna, he helped establish the traditions of string quartet playing. Haydn wrote his second cello concerto for Kraft. Beethoven wrote the cello part of his Triple Concerto for Kraft. 

Kraft wrote exclusively for the cello, and not many pieces at that. His concerto is his only large-scale composition. It premiered in 1804 and represents the end of the pure Classical style. Beethoven's "Eroica" Symphony would soon change the landscape and begin the Romantic Era.

Jean-Guihen Queyras performs with a rare instrument, the cello Gioffredo Cappa (1696). The Ensemble Resonanz is a chamber orchestra. That makes it a perfect match for Queyras' instrument. The Classical Era was about elegance and balance. These musicians have both. 

The cello has a warm, honeyed tone that's ideal for the long, singing lines of Bach and Kraft. Queyras' playing is first-rate, of course. Kraft's concerto places heavy demands on the soloist. Queyras delivers and does so with exceptional musicality. 

When it comes to Classical Era cello concertos, many people only know Haydn's. If you're one of them, give this disc a listen. It provides context for those works. And these concertos provide their own audio delights. 

Beautifully recorded, and beautifully performed. CPE Bach and Antonin Kraft may not be well-known today. But in their time they were highly regarded by the masters. And you can easily hear why.   

Antonin Kraft, Carl Philipp Emanuel Bach: Cello Concertos
Jean-Guihen Queyras: cello
Ensemble Resonanz; Riccardo Minasi conductor
Harmonia Mundi HMM 902392   

Early Vytautas Bacevicius Appealing

Naxos completes their cycle of Vytautas Bacevičius piano concertos -- after a nine-year hiatus. Volume one was released in 2015 and featured his last two concertos. 

In the 1940s, Bacevicius moved to atonality. The works featured in volume one have a very different character than the compositions here.

The first two piano concertos and Symphony No. 3 are all very much tonal works. Bacevicius was proud of his Lithuanian heritage. 

When his parents separated, he went with his father back to Lithuania and reverted to the Lithuanian version of the family name. His sister, Grazia Backewicz, remained in Poland with her mother and kept the Polish version of her surname.

Bacevicius wasn't able to remain in Lithuania long. He was on tour in South America when Russia invaded. He eventually made his way to the United States, never to return to his occupied homeland.

The 1929 Piano Concerto No. 1 is subtitled "Sur des thèmes lituaniens." It's a celebratory work, with Lithuanian themes serving as the building blocks. 

The Second Piano Concerto of 1933 also draws extensively on Lithuanian folk music. But here the original tunes are fully integrated into the work. So much so they almost disappear -- but still leave a trace of their character.

Bacevicius' Symphony No. 3 was written after he was granted sanctuary in America. It ends with a treatment of the "Star Spangled Banner." Bacevicius doesn't just quote the tune -- he works with it to fit into the rest of the symphony. And almost succeeds. 

The Lithuanian National Symphony Orchestra is directed by Christopher Lyndon-Gee. These are strong, committed performances. Very little of Bacevicius' music was performed during his lifetime. The Second Piano Concerto and Third Symphony receive their world recording premiere. 

The ensemble has a fundamental understanding of what Bacevicius was about -- and it shows in their performances. Pianist Gabrielius Alekna is exceptional. Bacevicius was a world-class pianist. He demands a lot from the soloist and Alekna delivers time and again. 

I suspect many will find this volume more appealing and accessible than the previous one. I recommend both. But I'd start with this one.

Vytautas Bacevicius: Piano Concertos Nos. 1 & 2
Piano Concerto No. 1 ‘Sur des thèmes lituaniens’
Piano Concerto No. 2; Symphony No. 3
Gabrielius Alekna, Piano
Lithuanian National Symphony Orchestra; Christopher Lyndon-Gee
Naxos

#ClassicsaDay #NorthAmClassics Week 2, 2024

Two countries celebrate their independence in July -- and they just happen to be neighbors. On July 1, 1867, three separate British colonies were officially united. United Canadas, Nova Scotia, and New Brunswick became Canada. 

On July 4, 1776, thirteen separate British colonies were officially united, becoming the United States of America.

The #ClassicsaDay challenge for July is to post music by Canadian and American composers. Both countries have created their own forms of classical music, independent of Europe's. 

Here are my social media posts for the second week of #NorthAmClassics. As in past years, I alternate between Canadian and American composers. 

07/08/24 Benjamin Carr (1768-1831): Federal Overture

Carr emigrated to America in 1793. In Philadelphia, he was a major figure -- music publisher, composer, teacher, organist, and concert organizer.

 

07/09/24 Nicolas Gilbert (1970 - ) UP!: Sesquie for Canada's 150th

Gilbert is a Canadian composer from Montreal. In 2008 he was named "Composer of the Year" by the Quebec Music Council.

 

07/10/24 Edward Burlingame Hill (1872-1960): Symphony No. 1

Hill studied with two of the "Boston Six" (John Knowles Paine and George Whitefield Chadwick). He was on the Harvard faculty from 1908 until his death in 1940. His pupils included Elliot Carter, Leonard Bernstein, and Virgil Thomson.

 

07/11/24 Sophie Carmen Eckhardt-Gramatté (1899-1974): Symphony No. 1

Eckhardt-Gramatté had an international career. She and her husband settled in Winnipeg in 1953 where she became -- in her 50s -- a Canadian composer.

 

07/12/24 Alexander Reinagle (1756-1809): Sonata No. 1

This English composer emigrated to America in 1789. In Philadelphia, he became an established composer, pianist, and teacher. George Washington was a fan. Reinagle taught his stepdaughter, Nellie Custis.

 

Bruckner: From the Archives, Volume 3 - More, Please

The third volume of this remarkable series features two Bruckener symphonies. As with the other volumes, context is key. "Bruckner: From the Archives" will cover all the composer's major works. But it does so with rare recordings, some, like the ones in this album, never released before. 

The source material is the archives of John F. Berky, president of the Bruckner Society of America. Lani Spahr has remastered these recordings, teasing the highest fidelity out of them. At the same time, Spahr refrains from artificially tweaking the source material. So, for example, the 1966 aircheck of Bruckner's Third sounds of the era.

There's a softness to the sound one would expect from a 1960s LP. And yet there's no surface noise at all. Just the music as the microphones heard it a half-century ago. I appreciate that fidelity.

Hans Schmidt-Isserstedt leads the NDR Symphony Orchestra in Bruckner's Third Symphony in D minor. Bruckner's first version, published in 1877 was rejected for performance. He revised it, and this 1890 version became a hit for the Vienna Philharmonic.

Here Schmidt-Isserstedt uses a modern edition published by Fritz Oeser in the 1950s. Oeser used the earlier 1877 version as his source. His publication made Bruckner's original version available for performance after 80 years.

Schmidt-Isserstedt created the NDR Symphony Orchestra in 1945. And he remained its director until his death. This is his ensemble and his instrument. The performance is an aircheck done in 1966. It is insightful and thrilling.

Bruckner's Symphony No. 4 in E-flat major, the "Romantic." And it's his most popular work -- and the one with the most revisions. Bruckner completed the score in 1877. He revised it in 1878. In 1879 he replaced the Scherzo. The finale was overhauled in 1880.

Volkmar Andrease and the Munich Philharmonic use the 1880 score. This is a live 1958 performance before a remarkably well-behaved audience. Andrease was an early Bruckner champion. He conducted the composer's works over 250 times. Plus he organized the first Swiss Bruckner Festival in 1936.

Andrease knows what he's about with this work. And he's about bringing the fire. The orchestra fairly crackles with energy, especially during the scherzo. 

Another fine addition to this series. Looking forward to volume 4. 

Anton Bruckner: From the Archives, Volume 3
NDR Symphony Orchestra; Hans Schmidt-Isserstedt, conductor
Munich Philharmonic; Volkmar Andreae, conductor
SOMM Recordings Ariadne 5029-2
2 CD Set

Strata Plums the Depths of Eleanor Alberga's Works

This is the fourth album of Eleanor Alberga's music I've reviewed. And all I can say is, "More, please." Alberga is a British composer, originally from Jamaica. She successfully blends music traditions from both countries into something fresh and unique.

Pianist Alberga and her violinist husband Thoams Bowes performed as a duet. I think those close working and personal relationships informed her string writing. It's original, yet idiomatic to the instrument. 

"Tower" pays homage to a friend, violinist David Angel. The work is for string quartet and orchestra. It's an interesting study in contrasts and balance. The orchestra provides the emotional context for the quartet', which sometimes gets overwhelmed. 

Alberga's first symphony, "Strata" is also written in memory of a friend. In this case, violist David Nash. The movement titles reflect his interest in geology: Firmament, Core, Mantle, Crust, Sailing on Tethys, and Plumes. Each strata has its own characteristic sound. 

The work doesn't follow the traditional four-movement symphonic form. But it works. Each movement (strata) builds on the previous. There's a clear sense of direction and development throughout the symphony.

"Mythologies" has a similar form. Each movement is a character sketch of a Greek god. But here the music seems to work as a suite rather than a unified composition. And there's nothing wrong with that.

Alberga is an excellent composer and masterful orchestrator. 

Thomas Kemp. directs the BBC Symphony Orchestra Their sound is full, rich, and powerful. Alberga's music is in good hands here.

Highly recommended.

Strata: Eleanor Alberga Orchestral Works
Castalian String Quartet
BBC Symphony Orchestra: Thomas Kemp, conductor
Resonus RES 10340

Miro Quartet Almost Makes It Home

Okay, I do have some quibbles with this release. But they're more issues with me than anything with the album.

This is Miró Quartet's second album with Pentatone. Their first release was Beethoven's complete string quartets. And while this release might not be as ambitious, the playing is just as uncompromising. 

I like most of the music choices, and how they're presented. And I like the way they're all performed. The Miró Quartet is a world-class ensemble. They're just as comfortable playing contemporary music as standard repertoire. 

The album is a contemplation of the concept of "home."  

Kevin Puts has worked with the quartet before. His work "Home" articulates the feelings of losing a home. Specifically, the experience of war refugees. The work is unsettled and restless. Refugees are constantly on the run, and the music captures the feeling of forced flight. It's a powerful composition, made more so by Miró's performance. 

Also included is Barber's String Quartet in B minor, Op. 11. The middle movement, "Adagio" has taken on a life of its own. But here in its original context, it sounds intimate and personal. 

Caroline Shaw's "Microfictions" grew from her experience during the COVID lockdown. Exploring Twitter, she discovered the Microfictions of T.R. Darling. Each of his daily posts was a piece of short fiction -- contained within the character limit of a tweet. Shaw uses some of these to create her own musical "Microfictions." Her six pieces are short and focused.

Yet like the poems they're attached to, the pieces are also oblique and mysterious. What's unsaid is almost more important than what's said.

George Walker's "Lyric for Strings," like Barber's "Adagio" began as a string quartet movement. He wrote it  it in tribute to his grandmother who was born enslaved. Miró only performs the string quartet version of the one movement. I wanted to hear the entire quartet. After all, that's the context Walker conceived the movement to be heard. 

I recognize I'm of a minority to consider hearing all the movements of a work important. So if you're like me, this is a minus. If you're not, then no harm done.  

I really objected to the album's finale, an arrangement of Harold Arlen's "Over the Rainbow.." Yes, it is skillfully arranged by William Ryden. But to me, it still doesn't quite rise to the level of the other works.  An album of insightful music-making ends with this corny cliched view of home. 

There's a lot to like here. I will be playing his album again many times -- just not the last track

Home: Miró Quartet
Music by Kevin Puts, George Walker, Caroline Shaw, Samuel Barber, and Harold Arlen
Pentatone PTC5187227

#ClasicsaDay #NorthAmClassics Week 1 2024

Two countries celebrate their independence in July -- and they just happen to be neighbors. On July 1, 1867, three separate British colonies were officially united. United Canadas, Nova Scotia, and New Brunswick became Canada. 

On July 4, 1776, thirteen separate British colonies were officially united, becoming the United States of America.

The #ClassicsaDay challenge for July is to post music by Canadian and American composers. Both countries have created their own forms of classical music, independent of Europe's. 

Here are my social media posts for the first week of #NorthAm classics. As in past years, I alternate between Canadian and American composers. 

07/01/24 Murray Adaskin (1906-2002): Musica Victoria

Adaskin was born in Toronto to Latvian immigrants. He served as the director of the University of Saskatchewan's music department for many years.

 

07/02/24 Amy Beach (1867-1944): Piano Quintet, Op. 67

Beach was the youngest member of the Boston Six, the most prominent American composers of the late 19th Century. Her piano quintet was completed in 1907. 

 

07/03/24 Elizabeth Raum: Spirit of Canada

Raum was awarded the Saskatchewan Order of Merit for her contributions to Canadian music. She's a prolific composer and prides herself on her music's accessibility.

 

07/04/24 George Frederick Bristow (1825-1898): Symphony No. 4 in E minor, Op. 50 "Arcadian"

Bristow strove to create an American style of classical music. His works often have nationalist themes. His 1872 "Arcadian" symphony depicts pioneers moving west.

 

07/05/24 Ruth Watson Henderson (born 1932): Kyrie Fugue

Henderson was an accompanist for the Festival Singers of Canada. It was there she developed her talent for choral writing. To date, Henderson has written over 200 choral works, in addition to other music.