Hurricane

Here is a great new disc featuring the wonderful music of an American composer performed by a fine American orchestra. What does Dankner's music sound like? Dankner of course, but also a slightly more modern (and inventive) Howard Hanson. As you will hear for yourself Dankner is a composer whose works encompass the breadth of scope and range of expression of the late-Romantic tradition. In his music, there is an emphasis on melody, rich textures, chromatic harmony and contrapuntal devices. The Louisiana Philharmonic is the only musician-owned and managed orchestra in the United States. It has a long-standing relationship with the composer Stephen Dankner, thus it is fitting that the orchestra's very first recording feature the music of Mr. Dankner. Each of the three works which appear on this CD were given their New Orleans premiere by the Louisiana Philharmonic and Hurricane and Song of Solomon were world premieres given by the orchestra. Dankner's music has earned applause, not only from the orchestra and its conductor, but also from audiences. Unlike the music of those composers Ned Rorem dubbed the "serial killers," his work is progressive but accessible, capturing a style of late-Romanticism while incorporating newer influences and voices. Listen for the rich, Straussian-like colors in the vivid "Hurricane." The sweeping expanse of love in all its delight and mystery infuses "Song of Solomon." And with the newest piece on the disc, the Concerto for Alto Saxophone, Dankner expands our perceptions of where this instrument fits in the world of classical music.