[Michael Abels, Adolphus Hailstork, Moses Hogan, William Grant Still, Howard Swanson, Richard Thompson, John Wineglass]
By Nathan Cone
I get excited when I see new releases that highlight hidden or unheard voices from the world of classical music, and MSR Classics always comes through every few months with great albums for curious listeners.
This spring, two albums stand out among the latest batch of discs to arrive at KPAC. “Breaking Waves” highlights the work of Swedish women composers of the late 19th and early 20th centuries.
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I’m even more excited by “Summerland,”
an album of music by African-American composers performed by Duo Dolce,
made up of Kristen Yeon-Ji Yun, cello and Phoenix Park-Kim, piano. The
title track is a familiar melody by William Grant Still, meant to
illustrate the sound of heaven. There are gospel sounds in a solo cello
piece called “Theme and Variations on ‘Draw the Sacred Circle Closer’”
and cello-piano arrangements by Moses Hogan of four spirituals.
Biblical inspiration is also behind my favorite piece on “Summerland,” by the Emmy-winning composer John Wineglass.
Born in 1972, his solo piano suite “Times of Solitude” was written in
1994, the same year he earned his Bachelor of Music degree.
***
Also of note
on this album is the masterful performance by Duo Dolce of music from
the 2017 horror film “Get Out,” which masterfully upended the “liberal
white friend to blacks” trope. In “Chris and Rose,” composer Michael
Abels creates a lovely piece of music with a sinister edge. Yun’s cello
carries the romantic melody while Park-Kim’s piano uses what sound like
whole-tone arpeggios, reminiscent of Arvo Pärt’s “Tabula Rasa,” to add
to the mystery.
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