A channel devoted to the more than 1000 releases of classical, jazz and cross-over music on Albany Records, founded in 1987. We specialize in 20th and 21st Century Classical music, with a special emphasis on such modern Americans as Roy Harris, William Schuman, Don Gillis and many, many more. We also feature the symphonic, chamber and solo works by the English composer George Lloyd (1913-1998).
Performed by Flexible Music: ● Timothy Ruedman, saxophone ● Daniel Lippel, electric guitar ● Haruka Fujii, percussion ● Eric Huebner, piano "Exorcist" was co-commissioned in 2006 by Flexible Music and the Society for New Music, with a grant from the Gladys Krieble Delmas Foundation, and completed in 2007. The score is prefaced with three quotes: Merrin embarked upon a lengthy prayer and Karras again returned his gaze to the bed, to his hopes of his God and the supernatural hovering low in the empty air. An elation thrilled up through his being. It’s there! There it is! Right in front of me! There! -William Peter Blatty, "The Exorcist" It is just because of this inner connection with the black side of things that it is so easy for the mass man to commit the most appalling crimes without thinking. Only ruthless self-knowledge on the widest scale, which sees good and evil in correct perspective and can weigh up the motives of human action, offers some guarantee that the end result will not turn out too badly. -Carl Jung, "Aion" We are asked often by the young who our "torturers" were, of what cloth they were made. The term "torturers" alludes to our guardians, the SS, and is in my opinion inappropriate: it brings to mind twisted individuals, ill-born, sadists, afflicted by an original flaw. Instead, they were made of the same cloth as we. -Primo Levi, "The Drowned and the Saved"
"Audubon" is pure genius, e.g. playing a renaissance lute like a banjo. Purists must hate it. Reminds me of Eudora Welty's story "A Still Moment" although Carver tells me the literary connection is a poem by Robert Earl Warren. I can tell stories about the summer this album was recorded. I believe Carver finally connected with Ed Sanders' recording engineer, still residing in Saugerties, for the miix, after he tried version after version in the barn.
Here Dr. Toensing is demonstrating his God-given art once again! A three-time McDowell Fellow, his music is superb. This performance is at once magnificent! Bravo to all!
Wow! Moving,nocturnal sometimes cerebral wholly unlike Ned Rorem maybe closer to Elliott Carter in its sudden changes and tonal complexity and newAmerican lyrical yet uneasy rhythms. Manic without Wuorinens abstract intensity. Walker is unique in that he didn't give into the dominant Hindemith neoclassical strain or ripe neoromantoicism if Barber,Menotti and others operating at this time. He was always his own man!
I sang this in a good chorus long ago and am glad *finally* to find a recording. The poem is "Dirge for One Who Fell in Battle" by Thomas William Parsons (1819-1892) from an 1872 publication entitled "The Shadow of the Obelisk, and Other Poems". The title of this setting for 8-part chorus by Charles Martin Loeffler is abbreviated to "For One Who Fell in Battle". I've roughly pasted the text below. You can find better formatting at the link I've provided. Room for a Soldier! lay him in the clover; He loved the fields, and they shall be his cover; Make his mound with hers who called him once her lover: Where the rain may rain upon it, Where the sun may shine upon it, Where the lamb hath lain upon it, And the bee will dine upon it. Bear him to no dismal tomb under city churches; Take him to the fragrant fields, by the silver birches, Where the whip-poor-will shall mourn, where the oriole perches: Make his mound with sunshine on it, Where the bee will dine upon it, Where the lamb hath lain upon it, And the rain will rain upon it. Busy as the bee was he, and his rest should be the clover; Gentle as the lamb was he, and the fern should be his cover; Fern and rosemary shall grow my soldier’s pillow over: Where the rain may rain upon it, Where the sun may shine upon it, Where the lamb hath lain upon it, And the bee will dine upon it. Sunshine in his heart, the rain would come full often Out of those tender eyes which evermore did soften: He never could look cold till we saw him in his coffin. Make his mound with sunshine on it, Plant the lordly pine upon it, Where the moon may stream upon it, And memory shall dream upon it. “Captain or Colonel,”-whatever invocation Suit our hymn the best, no matter for thy station,- On thy grave the rain shall fall from the eyes of a mighty nation! Long as the sun doth shine upon it Shall glow the goodly pine upon it, Long as the stars do gleam upon it Shall memory come to dream upon it. www.bartleby.com/400/poem/1426.html
If you all allow me, I would like to recommend these two albums to you. ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-M1pxrID4tcA.html ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-iR83PT24lqI.html
To Albany Records and others who have posted works by George Walker, a big thank you. Walker is a relatively unknown composer who was both sophisticated in his musical conception and compositional technique. I only recently heard his cello concerto- and I'm in my 70's, and it is a masterpiece. The mainstream industry like the mainstream media has a tendency to emphasize only a few artists who have 'made it' in some way or other but not take chances on others who may have produced interesting and sometimes brilliant work, because they did not receive some prize or other or have a p.r. machine or famous promoter backing them to make them marketable - or for some political, or cultural or ethnic prejudice- e.g. to prevent them from being marketed or having any influence. That is why, for example, many marvelous artists who came out of the Harlem Renaissance - during a period when the US was still under a cloud of extreme prejudice or xenophobia- were unknown other than a very few. RU-vid has done a great service with respect to allowing exposure to many musical artists hitherto little known. This is also true of the great Soviet or Hungarian or Polish artists of which only a special few were widely promoted. So while RU-vid is part of the political censorship movement which has huge negative societal consequences, it is in some areas allowing a wide dissemination of music and art and while that may be a drug for some, it can open up vistas for, and encourage critical thought by others. People should take advantage of that opportunity while it is still available.
P. S.- I didn't mean to omit Walker's skill as a pianist. Also, I note that Art Tatum, who IMHO was perhaps the greatest jazz pianist, was revered by such luminaries as Rachmaninoff and Vladimir Horowitz who used to visit Harlem to receive inspiration from his brilliant performances (and technique). But Tatum wasn't the only one- there were others like Earl Hines who was well known, and Dorothy Donegan, a student of Tatum not widely known but also superb.
Great recording Igor. Love your great energy in the first part the intense second part and how you gradualy reach the peaceful ending in the last part. Great undestanding of the piece!!! Congratulations.
Very happy you enjoyed this recording! Many years ago we had a phone conversation which I enjoyed greatly. You even taught me the correct way to pronounce your last name! Sincerely, Michael Bregman, Albany Records
un des plus beau concerto pour piano que j'ai entendu: un mouvement qui résume toute une oeuvre (oeuvre: c'est pas facile à écrire ce genre de truc , je compatis avec tous les francophones ou ceux qui écrivent en français😊)
