Texas Public Radio: Summerland: Music for Cello and Piano by Composers of African Descent; Duo Dolce, MSR Classics

[Michael Abels, Adolphus Hailstork, Moses Hogan, William Grant Still, Howard Swanson, Richard Thompson, John Wineglass]

Texas Public Radio

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.

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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.