Kenneth Fuchs: Orchestral Works, Vol. 1

Albumbeschreibung

The music of Kenneth Fuchs has been championed by conductor JoAnn Falletta, who does it proud, but it is now being programmed by orchestras in various countries and earning attention from other conductors. The Sinfonia of London and conductor John Wilson have been better known for film scores, but Wilson seems to have a real affinity for Fuchs' well-crafted pieces, and the results here are excellent. Fuchs' music is rooted in the past and is tonal, but it couldn't be called neo-Romantic; the listener's attention is drawn toward the detailed orchestral shadings rather than to melody. He is influenced by Copland, Britten, and, in the flute concerto Solitary the Thrush, Vaughan Williams (the title is from Walt Whitman, whom Vaughan Williams also loved). That work has a different structure from that of The Lark Ascending, but it is attractive enough that it could become a modern substitute for audiences that have heard the Vaughan Williams work too often. It may be the most immediately appealing thing on the program, but the orchestral works are also absorbing. Consider Cloud Slant, whose three movements were inspired by paintings of Helen Frankenthaler (although they are emotional impressions rather than programmatic depictions). Classes exploring the relationship between music and art (or just enthusiasts interested in the same) might check these out. In general, Fuchs seems a composer likely to be heard more often on both sides of the Atlantic in the coming years, and this release made classical best-seller lists in the summer of 2023.
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