Samuel Adler: Music for Chamber Orchestra
The music of Samuel Adler – born in Mannheim in 1928 but long since one of the leading figures of American music – has its roots in the Neo-Classical clarity of composers like Copland and Hindemith, who were among his teachers. The works on this album arose from a range of impulses: a Neo-Baroque concerto grosso and a tribute to Bach encase a series of tributes to lost individuals and traditions; and two jeux d’esprit – Ives’ tongue-in-cheek Variations on America and Holst’s ‘Jupiter’ from The Planets – both bring jollity in Adler’s idiomatic arrangements for string orchestra.
Sooyun Kim, flute (Tracks 1–4)
Michelle Farah, oboe (Tracks 1–4)
Yoonah Kim, clarinet (Tracks 1–4)
Taylor Smith, bassoon (Tracks 1–4)
Charles Neidich, clarinet (Track 6)
New York Classical Players
Dongmin Kim, leader and conductor
Listen To This Recording:
- I Slowly and very lyrically
- II Fast and fluid
- III Slow and quiet
- IV Fast and vigorous
- Elegy (1962)
- Beyond the Pale (2008)
- Come Let’s Dance (2020)
- Gedenkfeier (2018)
- In the Spirit of Bach (2013)
- Variations on America, for string orchestra, arr. Adler (2021)
- The Planets: ‘Jupiter’, for string orchestra, arr. Adler (2019)
Arcos Concerto (2008)
CHARLES IVES
GUSTAV HOLST
FIRST RECORDINGS
The Arts Fuse :
‘Immensely appealing is “Arcos Concerto” (2008), featuring four solo instruments: flute, oboe, clarinet, and bassoon — a work firmly in the manner of a Baroque concerto grosso yet whose musical language is as fresh as the flowers that I see opening on my daily walk around the neighborhood. […]
So much amazing music to discover!’
—Ralph P. Locke, The Arts Fuse
Fanfare :
‘Adler’s arrangements not only provide string orchestras the opportunity to perform these works, they offer considerable excitement and impact in their own right. The performances by the New York Classical Players and conductor Dongmin Kim are excellent throughout. The playing is incisive, tonally rich, and phrased with great care. The featured soloists are first-rate as well. Jürgen Thym’s excellent liner notes, including commentary from the composer, are brimming with information offered with erudition, clarity, and enthusiasm. Samuel Adler: Music for Chamber Orchestra is a marvelous tribute to an American musical treasure who has long distinguished himself as a composer, teacher, and writer. Recommended.’
—Fanfare