Most Helpful Customer Reviews
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16 of 16 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Close Encounters Of The Colorado Kind, December 19, 2004
In its continuing exploration of American music and lesser-known U.S. orchestras, the budget label Naxos has given us one of its most provocative and innovative recordings to date. Michael Daugherty, the man behind the "Superman"-inspired "Metropolis Symphony", gives us two innovative works, "Philadelphia Stories" and the futuristic "UFO", a concerto for percussion and orchestra.
"Philadelphia Stories" is the composer's three-movement tone painting of the City of Brotherly Love, focusing in on aspects of street life ("Sundown On South Street"), the terror of Edgar Allan Poe ("The Tell-Tale Heart"), and the legacy of Leopold Stokowski ("Bells For Stokowski"). In this last movement, Daugherty imagines all the bells tolling in Philadelphia as the often-controversial conductor who put the Philadelphia Orchestra on the world map makes a visit to the Liberty Bell.
"UFO" shows off the impressive abilities of Scottish-born percussion maestra Evelyn Glennie in this concerto inspired, of course, by sightings of alien spacecraft in the night skies of Earth that have been reported since the Roswell incident of 1947. The piece is hugely reminiscent in sound and size of John Williams' score for Spielberg's 1977 sci-fi masterpiece CLOSE ENCOUNTERS OF THE THIRD KIND, a trait that may or may not be intentional, but a trait that works quite well. Glennie's percussion abilities are second-to-none here.
Both works are bought together by the Colorado Symphony Orchestra under the inspired leadership of music director Marin Alsop, one of a handful of female conductors to lead an orchestra in major recordings. The Naxos sound technicians give her, Glennie, and the Colorado Symphony a first-rate sound on a relatively meager budget, resulting in an incredibly fascinating recording that is quite simply one of the best in 2004 insofar as classical music goes. Highly recommended!
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1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
What a Hoot!, July 9, 2009
This fine release from Naxos contains two recent works from American composer Michael Daugherty (b. 1954), Philadelphia Stories, composed in 2001, and UFO, from 1998. Classical music fans with an appetite to hear new music but with an aversion to being aurally assaulted should find both these works quite worth of an audition, as both are adventurous but easy to listen to, satisfying rather than stultifying.
Philadelphia Stories is essentially three tone poems tied together by their relationship to the city of Philadelphia. The opening piece, "Sundown on South Street," is pleasant in a movie-soundtrack sort of way. "Tell-Tale Harp," the second piece, is much more interesting, and will perk up your ears with the zest that it brings to the harp part. The third piece of this trilogy, "Bells for Stokowski," pulls out all the stops, just as the old Maestro used to do. What a hoot!
UFO is said to have been inspired by unidentified flying objects. Its five movements abound with energy, and percussionist Evelyn Glennie gets an aerobic workout as she supplies all sorts of sounds to punctuate the proceedings. Although the music is often splashy, it never becomes merely flashy; it remains music, not just a succession of spectacular sounds.
The sound quality is excellent, with plenty of impact but no exaggeration. At the low Naxos price, this disc is one that you simply do not want to pass up.
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1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Blazing Percussive Energy, January 6, 2008
One of the best conductors in the United States teams with one of the most innovative living American composers, and one of the most talented and exciting percussion artists in the world to produce a recording brimming over with energy and passion.
The first selection on the CD, "Philadelphia Stories" is powerful and energetic, but also more gentle and even dreamlike in some sections. The first movement is dramatic and uplifting. The second movement, "Tell-Tale Harp" has wonderful brigh harp sounds. In the third movement, which is a tribute to the famous conductor Leopold Stokowski, the composer has interwoven his own transcription of Bach's C major Prelude from The Well-Tempered Clavier.
The second work, "UFO," is one of the most original and captivating works of classical music I have heard. The final movement of UFO, titled "Objects" is the dramatic high-point of the CD, featuring a spectacular performance by percussionist Evelyn Glennie that will make your heart race and, once heard, will not be soon forgotten.
There is a love of music and of life that resonates in both two works on this CD, a driving rhythm, a sense of fun, and an originality that make this a very worthwhile listening experience. The liner notes are by the composer. The sound quality is first-rate. Playing Time = 68:38.
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