Album

Now that composers like Osvaldo Golijov have experienced sustained success, eclectic styles of an international nature have begun to make inroads into academic settings. This little disc of chamber-orchestral music from the upstate New York label North/South Recordings offers a useful survey of American developments as exemplified in music by five composers. Four were born outside the U.S., but were partly educated and have flourished there, while the fifth, Brian Banks, is a native of Washington state who lives and teaches in Mexico. His Serenata No. 1 (Legados imaginarios) involves "imaginary legacies" of four figures: George Harrison, Lou Harrison, Henry Sapoznik (a legendary producer of Yiddish music recordings and broadcasts in New York), and Arturo Márquez (a Mexican composer oriented toward folklore). The work is interesting when considered with that in mind, but it's likewise appealing when heard without any foreknowledge. The various vernacular styles to which Banks refers fit together in a very unusual way, with the opening movement being a sort of Indian blues (it is George Harrison's Indian experiments that are relevant here). The music proceeds seamlessly into Yiddish- and Mexican-influenced phases. The rest of the music on the album is not quite so diverse, but much of it would be appealing for any concert audience. It's worth noting that the overtly Chinese-influenced piece, Dinos Constantinides' China 1-Shanghai, Songs of Departure (which sets the poetry of Li Po as translated by Ezra Pound), was not written by Chinese-born composer Stephen Yip. The latter's Spirit Labyrinth II, exploring extended techniques possible on the harp, is strongly commended to players of that instrument. The North/South Chamber Orchestra does not have a silky-smooth string section but possesses enthusiasm to spare, manifested in part by a wide dynamic range.

© James Manheim, Rovi

CD 1
José Lezcano Composer Tango-Overture, for orchestra Work Max Lifchitz Conductor, North-South Chamber Orchestra Orchestra
1	Tango-Overture, for orchestra	8:47			$1.49
Brian Banks Composer Serenata No.1 (Legados imaginarios), for orchestra Work 12:49 Max Lifchitz Conductor, North-South Chamber Orchestra Orchestra
2	1.Freely - Allegro risoluto (Goes dancing at)	4:30			$0.99
3	2.Elegantly melancholic	5:22			$0.99
4	3.Tiempo de Danzón	2:57			$0.99
Dinos Constantinides Composer China 1 - Shanghai, Songs of Departure, for voice & orchestra Work 15:38 Elizabeth Farnum Soprano, Max Lifchitz Conductor, Gilbert Dejean Bassoon, North-South Chamber Orchestra Orchestra
5	1.Prelude & Separation of the River King	3:37			$0.99
6	2.Taking Leave of a Friend	3:09			$0.99
7	3.Leave-taking near Shoku	3:41			$0.99
8	4.The City of Choan	5:11			$0.99
Stephen Yip Composer Spirit Labyrinth II, for harp & orchestra Work Megan Levin Harp, Max Lifchitz Conductor, North/South Consonance Ensemble Ensemble, North-South Chamber Orchestra Orchestra
9	Spirit Labyrinth II, for harp & orchestra	11:41			$1.99
Max Lifchitz Composer Confrontación, for viola & orchestra Work Rita Porfiris Viola, Max Lifchitz Conductor, North-South Chamber Orchestra Orchestra
10	Confrontación, for viola & orchestra	22:50			$3.99