Daugherty: Metropolis Symphony/Bizarro

Michael Daugherty (Composer), David Zinman (Conductor), Baltimore Symphony Orchestra (Orchestra) | Format: Audio CD

Product Details

• Orchestra: Baltimore Symphony Orchestra
• Conductor: David Zinman
• Composer: Michael Daugherty
• Audio CD (January 28, 1997)
• Number of Discs: 1
• Label: Decca
• ASIN: B000004CWL
• In-Print Editions: MP3 Download
• Average Customer Review: 3.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (17 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #184,348 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

12 of 15 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Daugherty : Music :: Lichtenstein : Art, April 15, 2003

By 

M. Hibbs (Bar Harbor, Maine) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Daugherty: Metropolis Symphony/Bizarro (Audio CD)

The music of Michael Daugherty is deeply rooted in the American psyche because of his focus on pop culture. In an analogous way to the pop art style of some modern visual arts, Daugherty uses familiar motifs and patterns to create soundscapes that are quite evocative.

Some of his critics claim that portions of his music are 'trite' or 'cliches', but this is precisely the point with pop art. Daugherty is able to create beauty from new use of the mundane.

While not everyone will enjoy Metropolis, it is an emminent work in the sense of connections between movements in visual art and music. Just as Schoenburg reflects Kandinsky, Cage reflects Pollak, and Stravinsky reflects Picasso, so does Daugherty reflect Lichtenstein.

9 of 12 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars World of Imagination for Man of Tommorrow, January 16, 2003

By 

Joseph J. Stefan (Baltimore, MD United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Daugherty: Metropolis Symphony/Bizarro (Audio CD)

Michael Daughtery's METROPOLIS SYMPHONY is a fitting tribute to the American mythology of the Superman story. He creates an environment of imagination and even suspense starting with the oddly spinning "Lex" which pulls us along with it, trying to keep up with the orchestra trying to keep up with its violin virtuoso. Other movments include "Krypton", a dirge-like piece complete with funeral bells, "Mxyzptlk", a somewhat mystical and confused musical metaphor for the imp from the 5th dimension, "Oh Lois", which is a little campy and gives the feeling of the damsel in constant distress relying on her hero.
The symphony itself ends in the dramatic fight to the death of Superman and Doomsday in "Red Cape Tango". There is also another piece Daughtery composed with the Superman folklore legend in mind called "Bizarro". It is strange, awkward, amusing, and potentially dangerous, just like it's supposed to be, forging off with superpower going...well,somewhere. All music makes full use of a fully structured orchestra tightly conducted by David Zinman. A great ride.

9 of 12 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Daugherty's Superman for the 90's, January 3, 2000

By A Customer

This review is from: Daugherty: Metropolis Symphony/Bizarro (Audio CD)

I bought this cd on a whim after performing one of Daugherty's more recent compositions for band, Niagara Falls. I found the first and last movements of the the symphony to be incredible. One thing that Daugherty manages to do is to keep the listner interested. The second, third, and fourth movements lack the interest and excitement contained in the first and last movements, but that is not enough to change my opinion on this particular work. I feel that Bizarro is also a quality work. The thing that I like about Daugherty is that he is not afraid to fuse rock and roll with contemporary music with jazz. It turns out to be one of the most interesting cd's I own.