'Ignis Fatuus: Piano Music of Adolphus Hailstork' (b. 1941), Troy 1112 (2009)

[Ignis Fatuus: Piano Music of Adolphus Hailstork; Andrey Kasparov & Oksana Lutsyhyn, pianists; Albany Records Troy 1112 (2009)]

Adolphus Cunningham Hailstork is a prolific African American composer who was born in 1941 and is profiled at AfriClassical.com The new CD Ignis Fatuus: Piano Music of Adolphus Hailstork was released on May 1, 2009, according to Amazon.com NationMaster.com gives this definition of “ignis fatuus”: “The will o' the wisps or ignis fatuus ("fool's fire") is the phenomenon of ghostly lights sometimes seen at night or in twilight hovering over damp ground in still air, often over bogs.” Figuratively, the term can mean can mean “foolish” or “misleading”.

AlbanyRecords.com
“Five works for solo piano plus a sonata for two pianos by the distinguished American composer Adolphus Hailstork are performed by Andrey Kasparov and Oksana Lutsyshyn. Sharing the honors on the solo piano pieces, they join forces for the Sonata for Two Pianos. Hailing from Armenian and Ukrainian families, these musicians were educated at the Moscow State Conservatory and came to the United States in the 1990s. They presently teach at Old Dominion University where they are colleagues of the composer.” A brief audio file can be heard at the record label's website.

The track listing is as follows:“1. Two Scherzos, 2. Trio Sonata, 3. Ignis Fatuus, 4. Eight Variations on Shalom Chaverim, 5. Piano Sonata No. 2, 6. Sonata for Two Pianos”