Album Notes

VISIONS AND MIRACLES
Composer Christopher Theofanidis: "The marvelous melodic and ryhthmic character of these medievel Spanish pieces was a tremendous inspiration to me, and they have become the referential base from which I express joy in my own music."

SO SAYS THE WIND
Composer Philip Lasser: "I chose to follow the movement of the wind and describe it in sound. The curls and eddies of its currents brought me to some wonderful apperceptions about organic musical development and form."

PHOENIX MADRIGAL
Composer David Gilbert: "The myth of the phoenix rising from the ashes is symbolic of hope for the new era. This "song of the phoenix" expresses the wish that humanity will rise from the ashes of a troubled past and build towards a bright new future. The mood is aerial, full of flight-images, and intensely lyric. The madrigal form is used by poets."

STARRY NIGHT
Composer David Amram: "The night I began to write this piece, I went out to the shed where I compose music, which is behind the farmhouse where I live when not on the road. As I walked out, I looked up at the beautiful clear sky and the stars were as brilliant as the famous Van Gogh painting Starry Nights."

SHUO
Composer Chen Yi: "Shuo represents the first day of every month in the lunar calendar. The word Shuo means to initiate in Chinese. In this work I applied original material taken from Chinese folk music, tunes and mountain song with singing gestures, and developed them properly for string orchestra. The pentatonic lines are woven vividly in different layers, creating a delicate oriental landscape."