Skyline - Ticket Back-Retrospective 81-8 - COMPACT DISCS [CD]

The InchAlpine SymphonyInch by Richard Strauss is one of the crucial symphonic works of the early 20th century. Although the Alpine Symphony has been accused of being mere sound cinema; film music without a film; superficial tone painting without real symphonic depth; from the beginning of the first; quite different working concepts onwards it was more than it's critics wanted to concede it to be. Rather; the Alps as a subject and their musical realisation were part of a larger construct. The poetic idea of the work creates it's own form; just as Strauss described it in his ideal.

The winner of the very first Queen Elisabeth Competition for cellists in Brussels in 2017, Victor Julien-Laferrière also won the Victoire de la Musique Classique in 2018 in the category 'Soloist of the Year', and joined Alpha Classics in 2019 for several recordings. After a first recital album devoted to Rachmaninoff, Shostakovich and Denisov in the company of the pianist Jonas Vitaud, he now presents two cello concertos by Antonín Dvorák (op.104) and Bohuslav Martinu (no.1, H196), accompanied by the Liège Royal Philharmonic Orchestra under the direction of Gergely Madaras. The two composers, born in Bohemia in 1841 and 1890 respectively, shared a strong attachment to the music of their homeland and a significant American experience - even if the reason for their travels was very different Dvorák was director of the National Conservatory of New York from 1892 to 1895 (during which time he composed the 'New World' Symphony and this cello concerto) while Martinu emigrated to the United States during the Second World War and remained there until 1953, composing dozens of successful pieces. With this recording, Victor Julien-Laferrière couples two key works for his instrument by eminent members of the Czech school.

After 30 years of being one of the Northwest's busiest players, Portland bassist Kevin Deitz finally puts his compositions to disc on this wide-ranging debut recording. With fellow Portlanders John Stowell, Paul Mazzio, Mike Snider, Renato Caranto, Warren Rand, and others, Deitz' long history of performing with artists as diverse as Mose Allison, Dave Brubeck, Art Blakey and Dan Siegel shines through in his approach to composition and his dynamic group aesthetic.