Schwendinger: 3 Works for Solo Instruments and Orchestra

Matt Haimovitz (cello), Curtis Macomber (violin), Christina Jennings (flute), Madison Sinfonietta, University of Wisconsin Chamber Orchestra, Nicole Paiement, James Smith

Catalog #: TROY1390
Release Date: December 1, 2012
Format: Digital
Orchestral

Three works for solo instruments and orchestra by Laura Schwendinger are presented in world premiere recordings. Esprimere for cello and orchestra was written in 2007 for Matt Haimovitz and premiered by him. Curtis Macomber is the soloist for Charoscuro Azzurro for violin and chamber orchestra and Waking Dream, a single movement work for flute and chamber orchestra was written for flutist Christina Jennings, who gave the premiere. The first composer to win the American Academy in Berlin Prize Fellowship, Laura Schwendinger is on the faculty at the University of Wisconsin Madison and directs their contemporary chamber ensemble. The recipient of numerous prizes, awards and commissions, Ms.. Schwendinger's music has been performed by leading ensembles and artists of our time. The three soloists, all virtuosos of international acclaim, give stunning performances of this music of infinite beauty.

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Track Listing

Title Composer Performer
Esprimere for Cello and Orchestra Laura Schwendinger Matt Haimovitz, cello, Madison Sinfonietta, Nicole Paiement, conductor
Chiaroscuro Azzurro for Violin and Chamber Orchestra Laura Schwendinger Curtis Macomber, violin, Madison Sinfonietta, Nicole Paiement, conductor
Waking Dream for Flute and Chamber Orchestra Laura Schwendinger Christina Jennings, flute, University of Wisconsin Chamber Orchestra, James Smith, conductor

Reviews

  • ".. she's so obviously gifted. Anyone who listens to these pieces will quickly hear that. There is some exceptionally fine music here I consider Schwendinger's concertos the work of a significant contemporary composer getting a much-deserved (if long delayed) 'break out' recording. And what a recording it is!"

    – American Record Guide

  • "...well crafted, colorfully orchestrated, chromatically disciplined, densely animated, lyrically alert."

    – Art Lange - Fanfare

  • "The cello concerto is a work of great drama, with a bold and intense, frequently ostinato-propelled first movement, a rhapsodic slow movement pitting the passionate solo line against highly original colortextures in the orchestra, a scherzo in which scraps of material seem to be thrown around the orchestra, and an active, propulsive finale, incorporating a virtuosic bell-accompanied cadenza. The vocabulary is a highly chromatic take on tonality, harmonically lush and richly textured. The violin concerto explores the contrast between tough, bravura material, bold and extrovert and full of harsh, stabbing accents, and soaring lyricism in clear, translucent textures. As in the cello concerto, the soloist has a near-constant flow of expressively and technically demanding musical argument. Waking Dream is a single-movement poem full of shimmering, iridescent impressionistic textures and a sensuously meandering, ornamented singing line for the solo flute. Madison Sinfonietta; Nicole Paiement."

    – Records International

*Album cover provided for Editorial use only. ©Albany Records. The Albany Imprint is a registered trademark of PARMA Recordings LLC. The views and opinions expressed in this media are those of the artist and do not necessarily represent or reflect the views and opinions held by PARMA Recordings LLC and its label imprints, subsidiaries, and affiliates.