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Joshua Rosenblum reported, "I don't think any of my teachers in music school ever actually said 'Will you please be serious?' in exactly those words, but the strong implication was frequently there," and the assortment of vocal and chamber music collected here bear out his non-serious bent. The composer accurately described his music as a melding of classical and popular styles. Most frequently, the popular influence is the Broadway musical, and the vocal pieces in particular show the composer's indebtedness to the musical in the text setting and the conventionally patterned melodies and harmonies. Rosenblum deploys enough complexity and unexpected twists, though, to keep them from ever falling over the precipice into cliché. Will you please be serious, written for the amplified string quartet Ethel, is a polystylistic romp through a variety of idioms, with quotations from numerous popular songs thrown in. The jaunty suite 5 X 4 = 20, for piano four-hands, is full of allusions to various popular dance forms, similar in spirit to Prokofiev's take on waltzes in his Waltz Suite, but with somewhat more tongue in cheek. The pieces sound like they were a blast to write and perform, but their whimsicality can wear thin over the course of an hour. Taken individually, any one of these pieces would be utterly charming, but they would benefit from being heard in the context of some music that wasn't so doggedly determined to be goofy. The album should appeal to listeners who appreciate genuine musical humor, with the caveat that the pieces might most profitably be listened to one at a time, with a palate-cleansing sorbet of works by Corelli or Schubert or Webern -- your choice -- interpolated between them.
© TiVo
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Sonnets to Sundry Notes of Music (Joshua Rosenblum)
William Shakespeare , Lyricist, MainArtist - Joshua Rosenblum, Composer - Ofra Yitzhaki, Artist - Misa Ann Iwama, Artist - James Worley, Artist - Lora Tchekoratova, Artist - Roosevelt Andre Credit, Artist - Joanne Lessner, Artist
(C) 2008 Albany (P) 2008 Albany
William Shakespeare , Lyricist, MainArtist - Joshua Rosenblum, Composer - Ofra Yitzhaki, Artist - Misa Ann Iwama, Artist - James Worley, Artist - Lora Tchekoratova, Artist - Roosevelt Andre Credit, Artist - Joanne Lessner, Artist
(C) 2008 Albany (P) 2008 Albany
William Shakespeare , Lyricist, MainArtist - Joshua Rosenblum, Composer - Ofra Yitzhaki, Artist - Misa Ann Iwama, Artist - James Worley, Artist - Lora Tchekoratova, Artist - Roosevelt Andre Credit, Artist - Joanne Lessner, Artist
(C) 2008 Albany (P) 2008 Albany
William Shakespeare , Lyricist, MainArtist - Joshua Rosenblum, Composer - Ofra Yitzhaki, Artist - Misa Ann Iwama, Artist - James Worley, Artist - Lora Tchekoratova, Artist - Roosevelt Andre Credit, Artist - Joanne Lessner, Artist
(C) 2008 Albany (P) 2008 Albany
William Shakespeare , Lyricist, MainArtist - Joshua Rosenblum, Composer - Ofra Yitzhaki, Artist - Misa Ann Iwama, Artist - James Worley, Artist - Lora Tchekoratova, Artist - Roosevelt Andre Credit, Artist - Joanne Lessner, Artist
(C) 2008 Albany (P) 2008 Albany
William Shakespeare , Lyricist, MainArtist - Joshua Rosenblum, Composer - Ofra Yitzhaki, Artist - Misa Ann Iwama, Artist - James Worley, Artist - Lora Tchekoratova, Artist - Roosevelt Andre Credit, Artist - Joanne Lessner, Artist
(C) 2008 Albany (P) 2008 Albany
Will You Please Be Serious (Joshua Rosenblum)
Ethel, Ensemble, MainArtist - Joshua Rosenblum, Composer
(C) 2008 Albany (P) 2008 Albany
5 x 4 = 20 (Joshua Rosenblum)
Joshua Rosenblum, Composer - Ofra Yitzhaki, Artist - Lora Tchekoratova, Artist, MainArtist
(C) 2008 Albany (P) 2008 Albany
Joshua Rosenblum, Composer - Ofra Yitzhaki, Artist - Lora Tchekoratova, Artist, MainArtist
(C) 2008 Albany (P) 2008 Albany
Joshua Rosenblum, Composer - Ofra Yitzhaki, Artist - Lora Tchekoratova, Artist, MainArtist
(C) 2008 Albany (P) 2008 Albany
Joshua Rosenblum, Composer - Ofra Yitzhaki, Artist - Lora Tchekoratova, Artist, MainArtist
(C) 2008 Albany (P) 2008 Albany
Joshua Rosenblum, Composer - Ofra Yitzhaki, Artist - Lora Tchekoratova, Artist, MainArtist
(C) 2008 Albany (P) 2008 Albany
Triple Delights with Scallions (Joshua Rosenblum)
Joshua Rosenblum, Composer - Single Tree, Ensemble, MainArtist
(C) 2008 Albany (P) 2008 Albany
Joshua Rosenblum, Composer - Single Tree, Ensemble, MainArtist
(C) 2008 Albany (P) 2008 Albany
Joshua Rosenblum, Composer - Single Tree, Ensemble, MainArtist
(C) 2008 Albany (P) 2008 Albany
Joshua Rosenblum, Composer - Single Tree, Ensemble, MainArtist
(C) 2008 Albany (P) 2008 Albany
Excursion (Joshua Rosenblum)
Joshua Rosenblum, Composer - Lora Tchekoratova, Artist, MainArtist
(C) 2008 Albany (P) 2008 Albany
6 Little Pieces (Joshua Rosenblum)
Joshua Rosenblum, Composer - Herrick Trio, Ensemble, MainArtist
(C) 2008 Albany (P) 2008 Albany
Joshua Rosenblum, Composer - Herrick Trio, Ensemble, MainArtist
(C) 2008 Albany (P) 2008 Albany
Joshua Rosenblum, Composer - Herrick Trio, Ensemble, MainArtist
(C) 2008 Albany (P) 2008 Albany
Joshua Rosenblum, Composer - Herrick Trio, Ensemble, MainArtist
(C) 2008 Albany (P) 2008 Albany
Joshua Rosenblum, Composer - Herrick Trio, Ensemble, MainArtist
(C) 2008 Albany (P) 2008 Albany
Joshua Rosenblum, Composer - Herrick Trio, Ensemble, MainArtist
(C) 2008 Albany (P) 2008 Albany
Toccata and Blues (Joshua Rosenblum)
Joshua Rosenblum, Composer, Artist - Haim Avitsur, Artist, MainArtist
(C) 2008 Albany (P) 2008 Albany
Album review
Joshua Rosenblum reported, "I don't think any of my teachers in music school ever actually said 'Will you please be serious?' in exactly those words, but the strong implication was frequently there," and the assortment of vocal and chamber music collected here bear out his non-serious bent. The composer accurately described his music as a melding of classical and popular styles. Most frequently, the popular influence is the Broadway musical, and the vocal pieces in particular show the composer's indebtedness to the musical in the text setting and the conventionally patterned melodies and harmonies. Rosenblum deploys enough complexity and unexpected twists, though, to keep them from ever falling over the precipice into cliché. Will you please be serious, written for the amplified string quartet Ethel, is a polystylistic romp through a variety of idioms, with quotations from numerous popular songs thrown in. The jaunty suite 5 X 4 = 20, for piano four-hands, is full of allusions to various popular dance forms, similar in spirit to Prokofiev's take on waltzes in his Waltz Suite, but with somewhat more tongue in cheek. The pieces sound like they were a blast to write and perform, but their whimsicality can wear thin over the course of an hour. Taken individually, any one of these pieces would be utterly charming, but they would benefit from being heard in the context of some music that wasn't so doggedly determined to be goofy. The album should appeal to listeners who appreciate genuine musical humor, with the caveat that the pieces might most profitably be listened to one at a time, with a palate-cleansing sorbet of works by Corelli or Schubert or Webern -- your choice -- interpolated between them.
© TiVo
About the album
- 1 disc(s) - 24 track(s)
- Total length: 01:17:11
- 1 Digital booklet
- Main artist: William Shakespeare
- Composer: Joshua Rosenblum
- Label: Albany
- Genre: Classical Vocal Music (Secular and Sacred)
(C) 2008 Albany (P) 2008 Albany
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