COMPOSERS: Macdowell
LABELS: Marco Polo
WORKS: Woodland Sketches; Sea Pieces; Fireside Tales; New England Idyls
PERFORMER: James Barbagallo (piano)
CATALOGUE NO: 8.223631 DDD
MacDowell has been dubbed the ‘American Grieg’, a miniaturist who composed a few substantial works. This is a selection of the miniatures – expressions of mood rather than directly representational (how do you make it clear that you are writing from a ‘log cabin’ or ‘at an old trysting place’?). They are pleasant to dip into, though with 34 pieces varying in length from 1:02 to 3:25 the constant ten-second pauses between tracks become irritating. Wadham Sutton
Macdowell: Woodland Sketches; Sea Pieces; Fireside Tales; New England Idyls
MacDowell has been dubbed the ‘American Grieg’, a miniaturist who composed a few substantial works. This is a selection of the miniatures – expressions of mood rather than directly representational (how do you make it clear that you are writing from a ‘log cabin’ or ‘at an old trysting place’?). They are pleasant to dip into, though with 34 pieces varying in length from 1:02 to 3:25 the constant ten-second pauses between tracks become irritating. Wadham Sutton
Published: January 20, 2012 at 2:31 pm