Rorem: Flute Concerto; Violin Concerto
Ned Rorem (b. 1923) holds dual citizenship: in the realm of words and the realm of music. In the first, he has produced a notoriously frank multivolume diary; in the second, numerous symphonies and chamber music works. But it is his hundreds of songs that make him famous, for this is where his two worlds meet and merge. However, this disc, celebrating his approaching 82nd birthday, presents three of his instrumental works. Spanning four decades, they vary greatly in style and content, but have in common a singing, sometimes almost spoken quality; Rorem calls this "a setting of words that aren't there." Indeed, both concertos have six movements whose descriptive titles strongly imply a narrative thread. Those of the Violin Concerto (1984) are thematically connected; they begin with "Twilight" and end with "Dawn." Soft, slow, lyrical passages alternate with busy running ones; timpani crash, woodwinds sing, the violin converses with the orchestra. The very difficult, brilliant solo part, played with easy virtuosity and a gorgeous tone by Philippe Quint, exploits every instrumental resource; the orchestration is masterful. The Flute Concerto (2002) was commissioned by the Philadelphia Orchestra for its principal flutist, Jeffrey Khaner, who plays it splendidly on this premiere recording. It features violent dynamic contrasts and imaginative orchestral sound effects; the flute adds color and rhythmic verve, acting more like a partner than a soloist. "Pilgrims" for string orchestra is slow, lyrical, warm, tonal, with lovely soaring melodies. The title refers not to America's founding fathers but to a biblical quote: "...strangers and pilgrims on the earth"; though written in 1958, it too has never been recorded.--Edith Eisler