Naxos Classical Spotlight

Michael Daugherty is considered among the Top 10 most performed American composers of concert music today. This podcast details three of his orchestral works that cement this status. Each was inspired by a larger-than-life American cultural figure—the author Ernest Hemingway, the artist Grant Wood and Randolph Hearst, who headed an extensive journalistic empire in the late 19th century. The orchestral colors that Daugherty achieves to reflect such diverse sources of inspiration confirm his continued mastery of the medium.

Raymond Bisha presents two ballet scores by Aaron Copland: one woefully little known; one a beloved staple of dance companies. The jazz-influenced Hear Ye! Hear Ye! (1934) narrates the scenario of a nightclub murder and the ensuing trial in a Chicago courtroom. Highlighting life at the violent edge of American society, the work’s original choreography was by Ruth Page, who went on to become the Grande Dame of American ballet. In complete contrast, Appalachian Spring (1944) is Copland’s most internationally celebrated work. Inspired by a story created by the legendary dancer and choreographer Martha Graham, the score draws on a wealth of American folk music for its material.

Kevin Puts is one of today’s leading American composers. His persuasive music, colourfully orchestrated and emotionally charged, is well showcased on this month’s new release of three of his highly engaging symphonic works. Raymond Bisha guides us from the adventurous harmonic combinations of River’s Rush to the elegant transparency of the Flute Concerto and the arresting atmospheric shifts of Symphony No. 2. The latter was written in response to the events of 9/11. It moves from unsuspecting bliss to rhapsodic patriotism before hurtling into violent upheaval, and culminating in a coda of uncertainty and hope.

The pianist and composer John Field certainly didn’t let the grass grow under his feet. He was born in Dublin, spent time in Bath and London, performed before Haydn, sustained a long European association with Clementi, then took Russian residency for a quarter of a century before spending his final years battling the illness that ultimately defeated him. Field’s immediately attractive music influenced such luminaries as Chopin and Liszt. Brimming with elegance, it stands endless repetition, as evidenced in this latest podcast by Raymond Bisha.

Raymond Bisha presents a new recording of works for violin and orchestra by four Polish composers, who may not all be household names, but collectively they’re worth the warmest of welcomes to anyone’s CD collection. Each composer had more than one string to his or her bow, so to speak, which may account for the compelling impact each work makes on the ear: Grażyna Bacewicz and Michał Spisak were also outstanding violinists, Alexandre Tansman a virtuoso pianist, and Andrzej Panufnik a renowned conductor. The soloist, also Polish and a multi-competition winner, is Piotr Plawner.

Raymond Bisha introduces a new release of three highly contrasted orchestral works, unified by the quintessentially American styles of the three composers. The optimism of Aaron Copland’s Appalachian Spring and the sparkling colour synesthesia of Michael Torke’s Bright Blue Music stand in stark contrast to John Corigliano’s Symphony No. 1. The latter is an intensely moving musical memorial to friends who lost their lives in the Aids epidemic of the 1980s and 1990s. The work moves from spikes of insanity punctuating Aids dementia, through stretches of poignant nostalgia to a mournful, yet peaceful conclusion. America’s National Orchestral Institute Philharmonic makes its debut for Naxos under the direction of David Alan Miller.

The Chilean musician José Luis Dominguez has taken his experience of conducting ballet and applied it to the composing of his energised score for the ballet The Legend of Joaquin Murieta. The music glitters in sync with its California Gold Rush setting. Shades of Zorro permeate. Rooted in the great tradition of symphonic film music, bad guys, good guys, brawling battles, the bustle of mid-19th century settlements and a thread of love colour this ‘action ballet’ score from first to last. Raymond Bisha is your swashbuckling guide to this new Naxos release.

The last three of Mozart’s five violin concertos have always been popular with recording artists, but there is always plenty more to be discovered in repertoire of such infinite variety. As soloist Henning Kraggerud has observed, “the true sign of a masterpiece must lie in the number of possible interpretations inherent in it.” Raymond Bisha presents Kraggerud’s account of these three masterpieces, all written in 1775 when Mozart was only 19 years old. Listen in to hear how the Norwegian’s engagement and passion illuminate a Viennese genius.

Join Raymond Bisha in a podcast of artistic discovery as he unveils yet another American classic—Randall Thompson’s Requiem. Reckoned by many to be his most ambitious work, the composer himself considered it to be his masterpiece, yet it has languished for decades on the periphery of the choral performance repertoire. This world première recording from Naxos serves notice that the work’s rehabilitation is overdue, with an outstanding performance by the Philadelphia Singers directed by David Hayes setting the bar high.

Although John Rutter’s musical upbringing was quintessentially British, the composer’s works today enjoy popularity on a transnational scale, not least his choral settings. Raymond Bisha gives both musical and historical context to this month’s release of Rutter’s Psalmfest: from the work’s textual inspiration to its place within the composer’s oeuvre, and the performers’ musical stewardship of a unique building with a venerable history.