Violin Concertos of John Adams & Philip Glass
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CD Details
Brand: EschenbachComposer: John [Composer] Adams
Composer: Philip Glass
Conductor: Christoph Eschenbach
Orchestra: Houston Symphony Orchestra
Performer: Robert McDuffie
Edition: Music CD
CD Release Date: 1999-08-24
Music Label: Telarc
Soundtracks:
- 1. Quarter note = 78
- 2. Chaconne. Body through which the dream flows
- 3. Toccare
- 1. Quarter note = 104 - Quarter note = 120
- 2. Quarter note = ca. 96
- 3. Quarter note = ca. 150 - Coda. Quarter note = 104
Music reviews of Violin Concertos of John Adams & Philip Glass
Music Review: The Adams Drags This Down
Rating: 3 Stars
This superbly produced, performed, and recorded disk puts these two contemporary concertos together for the first time, with McDuffie and the orchestra digging into both pieces for all they are worth. To these ears, the Glass comes off as the more convincing and entertaining piece of music, with an especially affecting slow movement. Yes, some of the repetitions in the first movement are a bit too much; however, this is for the most part a fun piece to listen to, and the quality of the recording and performance are top-drawer all the way.
Try as I might, however, I was never able to get any satisfaction from the Adams piece. I was disappointed by Gidon Kremer's recording on Nonesuch (not because of his performance, but because of the music), and although the overall performance and recording on this new Telarc surpass that earlier recording, the composition itself is no more convincing. I have forced myself to listen to it many times in an attempt to let it break down my resistance, and I can report that the second movement has some moments of affecting beauty; however, to be honest, I must report that I still find the work overall to be disjointed and uninspiring.
I will readily concede that this is a most subjective judgment on my part, and I am sure that there are folks who appreciate this music much more than I do. Indeed, if you heard the Adams on Nonesuch and liked it, then you are most likely going to love this Telarc recording, and if you liked the old Telarc recording of the Glass, you are going to love this new Telarc recording.
Description of Violin Concertos of John Adams & Philip Glass
Leave it to Christoph Eschenbach and the Houston Symphony to deliver one of the more impressive classical discs of 1999: a pairing of the violin concertos of John Adams and Philip Glass. Hearing the works of these two American music mavericks side-by-side is a study in contrasts: Adams's postmodernist composition from 1993 is filled with spooky overtones, as the violin threads its way through the piece, always at the forefront. It doubles as a ballet (the NYC Ballet cocommissioned the piece), yet never forgets the traditional violin-concerto form. Glass's composition from the late '80s is less complex. It, too, is based around a traditional structure of three movements, but these are passages we've heard from the composer for the last decade, though never quite so well assembled.Gidon Kremer has recorded two earlier discs featuring both the Adams and Glass concertos, but the sonics (especially on his Glass disc) are less impressive than they are here. Robert McDuffie's violin isn't as piercing as Kremer's--a shame during the eerily gorgeous second movement of Adams's piece--but there's a pleasant balance to this new disc, and the Houston Symphony sounds fantastic. All in all, it's a great package of two contemporary classical-music compositions everyone should hear. --Jason Verlinde
General CDs
- Styles > Classical
- Featured Composers, A-Z > ( A ) > Adams, John
- ( G ) > Glass, Philip
- Featured Performers, A-Z > ( H ) > Houston Symphony Orchestra
- ( M )
- Forms & Genres > Concertos > General
- Historical Periods > Modern, 20th, & 21st Century > Composers > Glass, Philip
- General Modern
- Instruments > Strings > Violin
- Symphonies > General
- Adams, John - Works by Adams
- Glass, Philip - Works by Glass
Music Genres
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