Contemporary/Twenty-First Century

Roxanna Panufnik’s “Celestial Bird”: Ex Cathedra

by

Roxanna Panufnik (b. 1968) is one of Britain’s most prominent composers. The daughter of the Polish composer and conductor, Andrzej Panufnik, she has written numerous choral works, including Westminster Mass, premiered by London’s Westminster Cathedral Choir; the oratorio, Faithful Journey – a Mass for Poland; and Across the Line of Dreams, a work for two conductors, two choirs, and orchestra, which was premiered by Marin Alsop, Valentina Peleggi, and the Baltimore Symphony Orchestra. …

Read more

Michael Torke’s “October”: Autumn Music

by

Although usually free of a literal program, the music of the American composer, Michael Torke, is highly evocative. Even if we don’t share the composer’s experience of synesthesia, in which musical keys are involuntarily associated with specific colors, Torke’s suite of Color Music from the 1980s makes us feel the essence of green, bright blue, and ecstatic orange. Other orchestral pieces such as Run (1992) and Javelin (1994) convey an exhilarating sense of motion, while December suggests …

Read more

Michael Torke’s “Chancel” (“Sessions, 3 A.M.”): The Virtue of Simplicity

by

Chancel is the third single to be released from Sessions, 3 A.M, the latest album by the American composer, Michael Torke. The complete recording will be available in November. Recorded last May at the Samurai Hotel Studio in Queens, New York, Sessions, 3 A.M features a collection of fifteen brief and atmospheric pieces for solo piano which are performed by the composer. The excerpts that are currently available suggest the magical, nocturnal vibe of an …

Read more

Gloria Coates’ String Quartet No. 7, “Angels”: Mystical Spaces in Sound

by

Gloria Coates, a prolific American composer who in 1969 relocated to Munich, passed away last week. She was 89. Coates’ works include 16 symphonies, 11 string quartets, and numerous songs. Additionally, she was active as an abstract expressionist painter, creating art which appeared frequently on her album covers. The music critic, Mark Swed, wrote, “Coates is a master of microtones, of taking a listener to aural places you never knew could exist …

Read more

Michael Torke’s “Nave”: A Preview of “Sessions, 3 A.M.”

by

The atmospherically titled Sessions, 3 A.M. is the most recent project of American composer, Michael Torke. It is a collection of fifteen pieces for solo piano, performed by the composer. The first track, Nave, was released as a single earlier this month, and the full album will be available in November. In the nave of a cathedral, repeating structural columns rise to a vaulted ceiling and convey a sense of order and symmetry. …

Read more

James MacMillan’s Larghetto for Orchestra: Chorale and Plainchant

by

In his “constant, restless search for new avenues of expression,” the eminent Scottish composer, Sir James MacMillan (b. 1959), embraces tradition. MacMillan, whose catalogue includes five symphonies, six operas, a handful of concerti, and numerous sacred choral works, cites Scottish folk music and “the timeless truths of Roman Catholicism” among his influences. His Larghetto for Orchestra transforms the orchestra into a series of choirs, with echoes of ancient plainchant and contemplative liturgical …

Read more

Jaakko Kuusisto’s Violin Concerto: Elina Vähälä, Lahti Symphony Orchestra

by

Jaakko Kuusisto (1974-2022) was one of Finland’s most versatile musicians. As a violinist, he studied at Indiana University with Miriam Fried, made numerous recordings, and, in the 1990s, was a top prizewinner at the Sibelius and Nielsen competitions. After serving as concertmaster of the Lahti Symphony Orchestra, Kuusisto became active as a conductor. Perhaps he made his most enduring mark as a composer of approximately 40 pieces, which include operas, film scores, …

Read more