Daugherty: Metropolis Symphony/Bizarro

Michael Daugherty (Composer), David Zinman (Conductor), Emily Controulis (Performer), Mark Sparks (Performer), Baltimore Symphony Orchestra (Orchestra), Herbert Greenberg (Performer)

Product Details

• Performer: Emily Controulis, Mark Sparks, Herbert Greenberg
• Orchestra: Baltimore Symphony Orchestra
• Conductor: David Zinman
• Composer: Michael Daugherty
• Audio CD (January 28, 1997)
• SPARS Code: DDD
• Number of Discs: 1
• Label: Decca
• ASIN: B000004CWL
• Average Customer Review: 3.5 out of 5 stars See all reviews (16 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #100,157 in Music (See Bestsellers in Music)

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Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com
Michael Daugherty is one of a talented and eclectic group of American composers who have successfully worked in both rock and classical music styles. His compositions celebrate American popular culture--his latest opera, Jackie O, is based on the life of you know who. His largest and most ambitious work to date is this suite of pieces based on characters and events from the Superman comic strip. Rumor has it that the original title was supposed to be "Superman" Symphony, but DC Comics wouldn't give permission to use the name. In any case, the music is jazzy, snazzy, faster than a speeding bullet, more powerful than a locomotive, able to ... you get the picture. --David Hurwitz

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

10 of 11 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)

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.

6 of 9 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

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.

6 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Daugherty's Superman for the 90's, January 4, 2000

By A Customer

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.