Peter Boyer: Ellis Island: The Dream of America

Peter Boyer (Composer), Peter Boyer (Conductor), Philharmonia Orchestra of London (Orchestra) | Format: Audio CD

Product Details

• Orchestra: Philharmonia Orchestra of London
• Conductor: Peter Boyer
• Composer: Peter Boyer
• Audio CD (May 17, 2005)
• Number of Discs: 1
• Label: Naxos American
• ASIN: B0008JEKFY
• In-Print Editions: MP3 Download
• Average Customer Review: 4.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (10 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #211,887 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

13 of 13 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Coming to America, June 14, 2005

By 

Robin Friedman (Washington, D.C. United States) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Peter Boyer: Ellis Island: The Dream of America (Audio CD)

It is a pleasure to hear and to review the work of a young, rising American composer. Peter Boyer (b. 1970) has written many splashy, extoverted orchestral works. The large-scaled work on this CD, "Ellis Island: The Dream of America" is an immediately endearing work which captures much of the American immigrant experience. The work is ceremonial music, what some would call "political music", and effective. Since its first performance in 2002, it has been performed approximately forty times by twenty orchestras. It has also been broadcast on NPR. This performance, recorded in 2003, is conducted by Mr. Boyer leading the prestigious Philharmonia Orchestra and includes an impressive group of seven actors who masterfully perform the spoken dialogue.

"Ellis Island: The Dream of America" celebrates the immigrant experience. Musical selections alternate with spoken passages, with accompaniment, culled from the oral history project on Ellis Island. Immigrants gave interviews explaining their reasons for coming to America, their passage, experiences upon arriving at Ellis Island, and their initial response to being in the United States. Boyer includes excerpts from seven oral histories from immigrants, four women and three men, from as many different countries (Poland, Greece, Italy, Hungary, Belgium, Ireland, Russia.) Four of the immigrants are Jewish.

The texts are inspiring and beautifully read, and Boyer's music captures and enhances the excitement of coming to the United States. The work opens with a long orchestral introduction that sets the stage for what follows -- with a slow opening featuring the trumpet and a splashy transition to a lively theme featuring brass, percussion, and bells. Each of the speakers offer their story about coming to America in language that frequently is eloquent. The first speaker, an immigrant from Poland, concludes her history with the realization that in America "you are free!" and her understanding is captured in the musical interlude which follows. The young Greek fisherman who follows makes his own decison to leave his family for America, and his speech and the interlude which follows surges with hope and gratitude. The Italian immigrant rejoins her family and procaims "we are all together now!" to triumphant music. The Hungarian immigrant recognizes that "I became a man here" with the opportunity for a free life, and his realization is accompanied by a reflective meditative passage. The Jewish woman immigrant from Belgium tells her story to the accompaniment of a wailing solo violin. The liveliest passage belongs to the Irish immigrant, a raconteur and non-stop talker who tells his story to the accompaniment of a bouncy, popular theme in the piano and the orchestra. The final speaker is an immigrant from Russia who describes her first sight of the Statue of Liberty as "a vision from heaven". The work concludes with a recitation of Emma Lazarus's great sonnet "The New Colossus" which adorns the base of the statue.

This is open-hearted, patriotic and inspiring ceremonial music about what coming to the United States meant to generations of dispossessed people seeking a better and a free life. Many composers, including Handel, Haydn, Beethoven, and Brahms have written works directed to patriotic purposes. Boyer does well here, and I think his message allows the listener to reflect on our country as a source of hope, promise and freedom. This is a worthy addition to the ongoing Naxos series of American Classics.

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Great Adventure, May 18, 2005

By 

L. Cardoza "Cardi" - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Peter Boyer: Ellis Island: The Dream of America (Audio CD)

This is a great adventure in time. Being able to experience what our grandparents might have been through. It brought back some fond memories of times gone by. BRAVO!

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars So good that I'm proud to be an American again!, May 17, 2005

By 

Trevor Scott Johnson (Louisville, KY USA) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Peter Boyer: Ellis Island: The Dream of America (Audio CD)

This moving and well-played music grabs your attention right away. It supports the powerful emotion of the outstanding actors reading poignant accounts of immigrants arriving at Ellis Island. This subject hasn't been highlighted very often in the musical arena that I know of, and Peter Boyer certainly has captured this moment in time with heart and excitement. As an American musician myself, this CD makes me proud on many levels....proud of the history it relates, and proud that an American composer did so well.