New American Romantics
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Tracklist
  • 1. I. Ostinato
  • 2. II. Blues
  • 3. III. Improvisation
  • 4. IV. Elegy
  • 5. V. Toccata
  • 6. Quatrain I
  • 7. Quatrain II
  • 8. Quatrain III
  • 9. Quatrain IV
  • 10. Quatrain V
  • 11. Quatrain VI
  • 12. Quatrain VII
  • 13. I. Appasionatamente mesto
  • 14. II. Canto agitato
  • 15. III. Scherzo pop
  • 16. IV. Ballo risoluto
  • 17. I. Prelude
  • 18. II. Invention
  • 19. III. Romance
  • 20. IV. Rondo
  • 21. I. Unfolding
  • 22. II. Energy
  • 23. III. Solitude
  • 24. IV. Contrasts
  • 25. I. Fast, agitated
  • 26. II. Slow
  • 27. III. Toccata
Composer(s)
Various
Performer(s)
Max Lifchitz, piano
Larry Bell, piano
American composers have created an exciting and varied literature for the piano, perhaps the most popular instrument ever. The six compositions recorded for the first time on this disc represent a wide variety of aesthetic viewpoints. The diverse temperaments, technical and musical orientations found in these works paint a vivid image of the eclecticism strongly manifested in today's musical landscape. They also attest to the creative vitality of the American musical imagination. The impassioned melodies, sensitive harmonies and innovative rhythms found in these compositions challenge the technical and expressive possibilities of the instrument while providing the performer with a marvelous opportunity for technical and emotional display. The adventurous listener will be pleasantly surprised by the diversity and originality found in the music featured on this album. Larry Bell, a gifted composer as well as an accomplished pianist, is featured performing one of his recent compositions. Great care was taken to preserve the integrity of the concert hall ambiance when this recording was made. Indeed, you will find that we successfully captured both the natural resonance of the concert hall and the wide dynamic range of the music without distortion. Please use a moderate volume setting when you play this recording.
—Max Lifchitz, New York; October, 1995