ARCTIC DREAMS for Large Wind Ensemble
Frank Battisti conducts the New England Conservatory Wind Ensemble with members of the New England Conservatory choruses under Tamara Brooks.
Centaur Records, CRC 2288
A tone poem about life in the Arctic, with musical depictions of ice floating in the sun, the aurora borealis, polar nights, Inuit throat-singing, the spring hunt and drum dancing.
CHACONNE for Viola and Orchestra
Soloist, Rivka Golani; The Toronto Symphony Orchestra, Andrew Davis, conductor.
CBC Records 2-5O87. Also music by Bloch, Hindemith and Britten.
A theme and 23 variations exploring the viola in a variety of concertante settings and traversing 300 years of musical styles.
CONCERTMASTERS for Three Violins and Orchestra
Soloists: Robert Rudie, red violin, Masako Yanagita, yellow violin, Ronald Oakland, blue violin.
The American Symphony Orchestra, Kazuyoshi Akiyama, conductor. Vox 5158.
Three violins portrayed like actors in a play, going through a series of dialogues and confrontations, sometimes romantic, often atonal, based on a baroque theme.
DÉJÀ VU for Percussion Quartet and Orchestra
Soloists: Richard Holmes, Richard O'Donnell, John Kasica, Thomas Stubbs.
The Saint Louis Symphony Orchestra, Leonard Slatkin, conductor.
New World Records, NW 318
Four percussionists playing four separate solos, often in separate tempi, while exploring percussion colors in various musical styles.
DÉJÀ VU for Four Percussionists and Wind Ensemble
Eugene Corporan conducting the North Texas Wind symphony with percussion soloists Troy Breaux, Shawn Hart, Jeff Prosperie and Edward Stephan.
HAMMER & BOW for Violin and Marimba
Jacques Israelievitch, violin, Michael Israelievitch, marimba.
Fleur de son Classics, FDS 57941
A duet combining a variety of violin and marimba effects to reflect the mysterious and unpredictable mood changes of two people in a close relationship.
LIGHT SPIRIT for Flute, Viola, Guitar and Two Percussionists
The Saint Louis Symphony Players, Catherine Comet, conductor.
New World Records, NW 318
A light and playful piece for flute, viola, guitar and two percussion, described by New York Times critic Harold C. Schonberg, as "bouncing along with evocations of jazz, the baroque and serialism, not taking any of them especially seriously. The result has a curious charm."
NEW PEOPLE for Mezzosoprano, with Viola and Piano
Chiaroscuro Trio, with mezzo-soprano Elizabeth Petillot, violist Aurelien Petillot and pianist Yuko Kato.
Albany Records, Troy 1425
Seven songs on poems by the composer outlining a woman's disillusionment with modern urban society and her decision to live on in spite of it.
PERCUSSION MUSIC 1951-1957 including THREE BROTHERS, CHAMBER PIECE FOR PERCUSSION QUINTET, INVENTIONS ON A MOTIVE, VARIATIONS FOR FOUR DRUMS AND VIOLA and conversations with the composer
Project Director Patrick Roulet leads violist Megan Yanik and a group of 7 percussionists.
Equilibrium, EQ107
"The works contained in this project reflect an important period in the musical development of composer Michael Colgrass from his first composition, Three Brothers written in 1951, to one of his most popular chamber pieces, Variations for Four Drums and Viola written in 1957," per Equilibrium.
SIDE BY SIDE for Harpsichord, Piano and Orchestra, LETTER FROM MOZART for Orchestra, and THE SCHUBERT BIRDS for Orchestra
Gil Rose conducting the Boston Modern Orchestra Project with soloist Joanne Kong, keyboards.
BMOP/sound, 1064
The recording "captures Colgrass making irreverent connections to Mozart and Schubert in two of the works, whilst the third, a live in-concert concerto performance, features Joanne Kong tackling the dual role of both pianist and harpsichordist," says BMOP.
SNOW WALKER American Works for Organ and Orchestra
David Schrader, organ; Grant Park Orchestra, Carlos Kalmar, conductor
Cedille Records CDR 90000 0 063
URBAN REQUIEM for Four Saxophones and Wind Orchestra.
Soloists: George Weremchuck, soprano sax, David Ferndandez, alto sax, Tom McCormick, tenor sax, Stephen Welsh, baritone sax, The University of Miami Wind Ensemble, Gary Green, conductor.
Albany Records, Troy 212
A large-scale work where soloists and accompanying ensemble (average-size symphony orchestra without strings broken up into various "neighborhoods") interact while expressing the diversity, humor and tragedy inherent in our cities.
URBAN REQUIEM: Second Recording
Soloists: Brian Handley, soprano sax, Chris Thompson, alto sax, Robert Schrepel, tenor sax, Jeffrey Fulton, baritone sax.
The University of Minnesota Wind Ensemble, Craig Kirchhoff, conductor.
Innova Records CD 517; July l998
VARIATIONS FOR FOUR DRUMS AND VIOLA
Violist Rivka Golani and percussionist Ryan Scott.
Centrediscs CMC CD 5798; June l998
Commissioned by violist Emanuel Vardi and premiered at the Five Spot Cafe in New York City by him with the composer playing four tunable "timp-toms," this work has become a repertory piece for violists.
WINDS OF NAGUAL - A Musical Fable for Wind Ensemble
New England Conservatory Wind Ensemble, Frank Battisti, conductor.
Albany Records TROY560
A tone poem based on the books of Carlos Castaneda about his experiences with the Yaqui Indian sorcerer Don Juan.
WINDS OF NAGUAL - A Musical Fable for Wind Ensemble
Northwestern University Symphonic Wind Ensemble, Mallory Thompson, conductor.
Summit Records DCD-313
A tone poem based on the books of Carlos Castaneda about his experiences with the Yaqui Indian sorcerer Don Juan.
WINDS OF NAGUAL: A Musical Fable for Wind Ensemble
The University of Cincinnati College-Conservatory of Music Wind Ensemble, Eugene Corporon, conductor. Music also of Diamond, Hartley, Murray and Nelson.
Mark Records, MCD 78O
A tone poem for wind ensemble based on the books by Carlos Castaneda about his experiences with the Yaqui Indian sorcerer Don Juan.
*URBAN REQUIEM for Four Saxophones and Wind Orchestra
Soloists Joseph Carey, Allen Cordingly, Kent Engelhardt, Robert Fitzer; Youngstown State University, Stephen Gage, conductor.
*WILD RIOT OF THE SHAMAN’S DREAMS for Solo Flute
Flutist Patricia Gereighton on CBC Records, Canada.
*DREAM DANCER for Alto Saxophone and Wind Orchestra
Soloist Wallace Halladay; Toronto Wind Orchestra, conductor Tony Gomes
CD Title: Northern Winds; NAXOS 8.572248
* = new recordings
