TITLE: Adams: El Nino
LABEL: Nonesuch
REVIEW: To clear one thing up first: this is not about the El Nino weather system that hits the western Pacific every few years. This is, instead, a rather beautifully done Nativity Oratorio by John Adams, filled with his trademark dancing Minimalistic rhythms and tuneful melodies. The text is in Spanish, English and Latin, and comes from both New World and Old World sources, all centering around the birth of Christ. Particular kudos must go out to the three principles: Lorraine Hunt Lieberson, mezzo-soprano, Dawn Upshaw, soprano, and Willard White, baritone. Even though there are moments when White’s baritone threatens to dominate, they aren’t significant enough to forestall any pleasure in the overall work. And while there are moments of drama here, they aren’t as spooky as those in The Death of Klinghoffer, Adams’ other clear masterpiece. And that’s the last thing that needs to be mentioned here: El Nino is a clear masterpiece. A must for anyone’s collection of contemporary music. –Paul Cook.

TITLE: Boyer: Celebration Overture; Titanic; Three Olympians; The Phoenix; Ghosts of Troy; New Beginnings.
LABEL: Koch International
REVIEW: The music of American composer Peter Boyer (b. 1970) is a tasty mix of theatrical Romanticism and colorful atmospherics (and some of the most confident writing to come along in quite a while). Witness the opening bars of Celebration Overture, originally written for the American Jazz Philharmonic. It’s definitely a curtain-raiser.More diverse musical elements can be found in the dramatic tone poem Titanic (written two years before the movie). The double-tonguing trombones and glissandi of the opening measures evoke the songs of deep-diving whales, which are then followed by water gongs and brassy bells straight out of Alan Hovhaness. Titanic is followed by Three Olympians for string orchestra. Olympians has more of a British flare than anything particularly American (Britten and Tippett come to mind), but the work is in no way derivative. All in all, an excellent gathering of orchestral showpieces. –Paul Cook

TITLE: Ellington: Suite from “The River”; Harlem; Solitude; Dawson: Negro Folk Symphony
LABEL: Chandos
REVIEW: Neeme Jarvi, ever the expert architect, has over the years fashioned the Detroit Symphony into a world-class orchestra. Here they take on two important African American composers, Duke Ellington and William Levi Dawson, whose music only works if the conductor and orchestra know what they’re doing. Dawson’s Negro Folk Symphony (1934, rev. 1954) is a showpiece for obscure Negro folk melodies framed in standard 19th century Romanticism (mostly influenced by Dvorak, whose was himself influenced by American Negro spirituals, as in his famous Ninth Symphony). The showstoppers here, however, are three works by Duke Ellington, with “Harlem” the genuine stand-out. And talk about musicians knowing their chops: Catch the impossibly high trumpet notes (Walter White and William Lucas) reached at the end. Jarvi and the Detroit get everything here absolutely right. Highly recommended. –Paul Cook

TITLE: Schuman: Symphony No. 6; Harris: Symphony No. 7
LABEL: Koch International
REVIEW: These symphonies by two major American composers have only appeared once on vinyl in the early 1950s, then later on the same CD (Albany Troy 256). Both recordings were in mono with Eugene Ormandy helming the Philadelphia Orchestra . . . and they are far and away superior to these works from Koch International. While the New Zealand SO is a grand ensemble, they really have no feel for Harris’ nostalgia or his kaleidoscopic textures. The Schuman fares a bit better, but it’s clear that the NZSO hasn’t performed either of these symphonies much, if at all. The recorded sound could also have been a little less flat overall. The Ormandy, though, was a high watermark and it’s just hard to beat Eugene Ormandy and the Philadelphia Orchestra under any circumstances, even in mono. –Paul Cook

TITLE: Hindemith: Complete Orchestral Works Volume Two
LABEL: CPO
REVIEW: For the last decade or so, CPO has been the only label of note to advocate the music of Paul Hindemith (1885-1963). Not only have they gone about this advocacy with great enthusiasm, they’ve also sought out some of Hindemith’s lesser-known works. And while Volume One contains Hindemith’s clear masterpieces, Volume Two shines with its own gems. Most notable among the major works in Volume Two are The Four Temperaments (1940) and the Piano Concerto (1945), both clear Romantic masterpieces and both excellently performed. Of the lesser-know works, the best of these are the suites from the ballets, Der Damon (1922) and Herodiade (1944). Also in Volume Two are the complete cello concertos which contain some of Hindemith’s moodiest writing. The sound quality in all five discs is warm and focused with the exception of disc 2 which contains somewhat muted recordings of Kammermusik Nr. 2 and Konzertmusik. This is a minor complaint, however. Hindemith fans will want this collection if they don’t already have any of these five previously released discs. –Paul Cook

TITLE: Rachmaninov: Symphony No. 1; Etudes-tableaux (Orchestrated by Respighi)
LABEL: Chandos
REVIEW: The great music teacher and composer Alexander Glazunov influenced several generations of Russian (then, Soviet) composers, and one of the most popular to emerge in the early years of the 20th century was Serge Rachmaninov. Nearly all of Rachmaninov’s music bears Glazunov’s distinctive stamp. This is particularly true in the youthful Symphony No. 1. Valeri Polyansky and the Russian State Symphony here capture the essence of Rachmaninov’s Russian Romanticism ( including a dab of Rimsky-Korsakov’s Orientalism). Later Rachmaninov works veer away from Glazunov’s influence, becoming a bit darker. Italian composer Ottorino Respighi transcribed five of these works for piano–Cinq Etudes-tableaux–into five small, Scriabinesque tone poems. Add to the mix the extraordinarily robust Chandos sound and you have an absolute winner. Don’t pass this one by. –Paul Cook

TITLE: Rautavaara: Complete Works for String Orchestra - 2 Volumes
LABEL: Ondine
REVIEW: The music of Finnish composer Einojuhani Rautavaara (b. 1928) is a wily mix of regional Romanticism (in the vein of Jean Sibelius) and many of the European trends in atonality that appeared starting in the 1950s. For all that, Rautavaara’s music is both endurable and accessible to the first-time listener. This two-disc set of works for string orchestra appeared on Ondine 821 and Ondine 826, both in 1995, and offers a wide range of works that highlight Rautavaara’s compositional strengths and musical interests. Disc 1 contains his tone poems, works that tend toward the Romanticism of Sibelius, especially Pelimannit–The Fiddlers (1952) and the gorgeous Divertimento (1953). Disc 2 contains the more acerbic compositions of the latter part of the century. Best here are Ballad for Harp and Strings (1973/81) and Canto IV (1992). If you missed the original 1995 releases of this music, then track this one down. It’s certainly a must for Rautavaara fans. –Paul Cook

TITLE: Riley: Requiem for Adam; The Philosopher’s Hand
LABEL: Nonesuch
REVIEW: The Kronos Quartet turns in a spectacular performance of three unusually dissimilar Terry Riley compositions which are grouped under the title “Requiem for Adam”. Ostensibly the three parts of “Requiem for Adam” are based on the memory of Adam Harrington, the son of Kronos’ David Harrington, but none of these works is particularly funereal. The perky, Bartok-influenced “Ascending the Heaven Ladder” gives way (unaccountably) to the harsh electronics of the composer-assisted second movement, “Cortejo Funebre en el Monte Diablo”, which in turn leads to the energetic third movement, “Requiem for Adam”. This music might have a hard time finding a new audience, but Riley fans–as well as Kronos fans–will revel in both the music and warm studio ambience. However, the final work here, a five-minute improvisational knock-off called “The Philosopher’s Hand” finds Riley on the piano in a deeply meditative mood that could have gone for another hour. It promises much for the future of solo piano music from this gifted composer. –Paul Cook

TITLE: Schnittke: Piano Quintet; String Trio; Fuga for Solo Violin; Klingende Buchstaben; Stille Musik for Violin and Cello
LABEL: Naxos
REVIEW: Alfred Schnittke (1934-1998) is not really known for writing simple music, or at least music whose many arguments are rather easy to follow. Yet what we have here are brilliantly conceived (and brilliantly executed) chamber works of astonishing simplicity, works that nonetheless convey Schnittke’s characteristic polytonal style with absolute clarity. Best here is the meditative Piano Quintet (of 1976) where the piano tends to unify the clashing lines of the argumentative strings. The same holds true for the String Trio (of 1985). This work is more laden with satirical moments as it starts out flirting with the baroque then becomes more twisted and nightmarish as it unravels. Schnittke’s music isn’t for everybody, but this disc might stand as an excellent primer for newcomers. Highly recommended. –Paul Cook

TITLE: Varese: Arcana; Octandre; Offrandes; Integrales; Deserts.
LABEL: Naxos
REVIEW: French-born American composer Edgar Varese (1883-1965) has only a dozen works to his name, but each of those works is about fifty years ahead of its time. Varese yanked music of the early 20th century from the clutches of serialism and academic formalism and flung it into totally uncharted sonic territory, influencing (mostly European) composers such as Stockhausen, Xenakis, Birtwistle, Lutoslawski, Schnittke and Rautavaara. On this extraordinary disc, five of Varese’s best works are performed with uncanny skill and a deeply felt enthusiasm. Best is perhaps Deserts (1950-54) where tape-recorded musical effects are played along with an orchestra with a result that can only be called organized chaos. Even Frank Zappa has acknowledged Varese’s influence. What’s more, this music sounds as fresh (and as important) as the day it was composed. Highly recommended. –Paul Cook