Since I was a small boy, I have always enjoyed classical music –
\nthanks in part to the “Funk & Wagnalls Family Library of Great
\nMusic” collection that A&P offered back in the mid-70s. True
\nstory: I spent almost five years searching for a specific version
\nof Bach’s “Brandenburg Concertos” before I finally unearthed it on
\nCD. Though I mostly review rock on these pages, I still enjoy
\nkicking back once in a while with a good classical album.<\/p>\n
But many people don’t realize that classical music didn’t die
\nwith the great composers; it is still an art form which is alive
\nand well. Two composers, Eduardo Alonso-Crespo and Nancy Galbraith,
\nare prime examples of this, as highlighted on the disc
\nNew Energy From The Americas<\/i>. And while I’ll admit I’m still
\npartial to artists like Chopin and Mozart, the efforts of these two
\ncomposers are quite admirable.<\/p>\n
Under the direction of Keith Lockhart (who has since become
\nfamous as the third conductor of the Boston Pops), the Cincinnati
\nChamber Orchestra makes a strong case to become as well-known as
\nother symphony orchestras around the world. Their performance on
\nthis disc is incredible – and from what I could see on the
\nInternet, this could be one of the first recordings released by
\nthis group. (This disc is also extremely hard to find; I couldn’t
\nfind a listing for it on Music Boulevard, CD Now, or CD Universe –
\nthough I’m sure they could order it for you.)
\n(Editor’s note: With the folding of Ocean Records, this one has
\nprobably become even harder to find.)<\/i><\/p>\n
Alonso-Crespo’s work is represented in the guise of four
\nselections from three of his works. Written in celebration of the
\n500th anniversary of the discovery of America,
\nJuana, la loca<\/i> is an opera which has a truly “classical”
\nsound to it, as heard in the two selections from it. The overture
\nis especially noteworthy – the crests and ebbs of the music almost
\nmake it feel like you are on the journey as well. The “Ballet
\nMusic” selection takes a little time to get used to, but also
\nproves to be worth the effort.<\/p>\n
The overture from
\nYubarta<\/i>, an opera calling to attention the plight of
\nendangered species, is more challenging. It is not as upbeat as
\nthat from
\nJuana, la loca<\/i> – but maybe it was not meant to be. I tend to
\nbe reminded of Tschaikovsky’s
\nPathetique<\/i> symphony when I hear this, but I can’t say I’ve
\ntotally warmed up to it just yet. The final selection, a waltz from<\/p>\n
Pursi<\/i>, is equally as challenging – it has somewhat the
\ntraditional flow of a waltz, but it does not always stay in that
\nrhythm pattern clearly. Under the leadership of Alonso-Crespo as
\nconductor, he makes sure the Cincinnati Chamber Orchestra stays
\ntrue to the feeling of his works. Alonso-Crespo proves himself to
\nbe a venerable composer in his own right, and I am now interested
\nin hearing the full versions of some of his works.<\/p>\n
Galbraith is represented here with “Piano Concerto No. 1,” a
\nwork which again is challenging. The first movement gives the
\norchestra a chance to build up the mood before the piano – played
\nby Ralph Zitterbart – comes in to set the mood. Personally, when I
\nthink of a piano concerto, I expect the piano to be the centerpiece
\nof the work. However, in the case of this concerto, it often seems
\nas if the piano is secondary to the performance of the ensemble –
\nwhich can be distracting.<\/p>\n
The second movement is the most challenging, with a mood of
\nsuspense built by a subdued piano and a faint tremolo of the string
\nsection. Everything resolves itself well in the third movement, and
\nthe piano tends to step forward a little bit more.<\/p>\n
This work is one which, quite frankly, one probably will not
\nappreciate with one cursory listen. I listened to the work five
\ntimes, and while I do enjoy the concerto more, I still don’t think
\nI’ve captured all the nuances. (This one, by the way, is best
\nlistened to with headphones, to capture some of the subtleties of
\nthe performance.)<\/p>\n
To those who are most familiar with more established works and
\nbetter-known composers,
\nNew Energy From The Americas<\/i> serves as both a wake-up call
\nas well as a challenge. It reminds us that there are still
\ncomposers out there trying to preserve a beautiful form of music,
\nbut it also tries to erase an accidental stigma classical music has
\nthrust upon itself. The scene has tended to keep only certain
\ncomposers’ works alive (remember the torture of – do I have his
\nname right? – Salieri in
\nAmadeus<\/i>?), so when a different name comes to the front, it’s
\nharder to accept.<\/p>\n
\nNew Energy From The Americas<\/i> is a wonderful showcase – not
\nonly for the two composers whose work is highlighted here, not for
\nthe young conductor who is at the top of his game, not even for the
\nCincinnati Chamber Orchestra. It is a showcase for classical music
\nitself – far from dead, though unjustly far from the eyes of many
\nmusic lovers. Finding this one is going to be a tough search, but
\nit is a rewarding one.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":24474,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","template":"","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"artist":[5787],"rating":[5613],"class_list":["post-35678","review","type-review","status-publish","has-post-thumbnail","artist-cincinnati-chamber-orchestra","rating-rating-a-minus"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/dailyvault.adishjain.in\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/review\/35678","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/dailyvault.adishjain.in\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/review"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/dailyvault.adishjain.in\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/review"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dailyvault.adishjain.in\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dailyvault.adishjain.in\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=35678"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/dailyvault.adishjain.in\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/review\/35678\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dailyvault.adishjain.in\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/24474"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/dailyvault.adishjain.in\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=35678"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"artist","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dailyvault.adishjain.in\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/artist?post=35678"},{"taxonomy":"rating","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dailyvault.adishjain.in\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/rating?post=35678"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}