American Canvas

American Canvas

Description: 
A thrilling trialogue
Composers: 
Jennifer Higdon
Andrea Clearfield
Zhou Tian
Shulamit Ran
Performers: 
Dolce Suono Trio
Mimi Stillman
Nathan Vickery
Charles Abramovic
Lucy Shelton
Gabriel Cabezas
Alexis Pia Gerlach
Catalog Number: 
#991
Genre: 
new classical
Collection: 
solo voice
flute
cello
women
jewish
Location: 

Philadelphia, PA

Price: 
$15.00
Release Date: 
Feb 23, 2018
Liner Notes: 
View
1 CD
One Sheet: 

American Canvas is a tour de force of flute, cello, and piano trio repertoire featuring the premiere recordings of four powerful works by some of today’s most celebrated American composers. Pulitzer Prize winners Jennifer Higdon and Shulamit Ran, Andrea Clearfield, and Zhou Tian embrace a variety of sources from visual art, literature, and nature, telling musical stories in a pyrotechnic display of color and brushwork, an eerie nocturne on a lake, a vivid intoxication by the moon, a thrill ride in medieval Spain. The acclaimed Dolce Suono Trio conveys the diverse sonic landscapes, nuanced timbres, and emotional experiences with inimitable virtuosity and passion.

The eponymous title derives from Higdon’s American Canvas, a dazzlingly virtuosic show inspired by the art of Georgia O’Keeffe, Andrew Wyeth, and Jackson Pollock. Andrea Clearfield’s Spirit Island depicts the beauty and terrifying power of the natural world inspired by her journey to the Canadian Rockies. Zhou Tian’s Viaje is the composer’s evocation of the Spanish medieval hero El Cid, in which he marries his Chinese-American heritage with his love of Spanish culture. Shulamit Ran’sMoon Songs, a reflection on and companion piece to Schoenberg’s Pierrot lunaire, is a large-scale dramatic work tailored to Lucy Shelton’s unique vocal gifts, with a range of text and music styles from folk to Biblical to contemporary.

Dolce Suono Trio, “one of the most dynamic groups in the US “ (The Huffington Post), includes flutist Mimi Stillman (soloist and chamber musician, Yamaha Performing Artist, founding Artistic Director of Dolce Suono Ensemble), cellist Nathan Vickery (New York Philharmonic), and pianist Charles Abramovic (collaborative pianist, Professor at Temple University). Soprano Lucy Shelton and cellists Gabriel Cabezas and Alexis Pia Gerlach complete the album. The trio has enthralled audiences with its programs spanning Haydn trios to its own commissions at prestigious venues including the Philadelphia Chamber Music Society, Smithsonian American Art Museum, New York’s Symphony Space, Brooklyn’s Roulette, Southern Exposure New Music Series (SC), Princeton, Bard, Bryn Mawr, and Cornell Universities.

“The three were flawlessly in sync – even their trills!” --The Philadelphia Inquirer

“Dolce Suono Ensemble eloquently advocates for new music.” –The New York Times

“An adventurous ensemble!” –The New York Times       

“Superb musicians!” –Fanfare

(Freedom, Innova) “Dazzling performances of brilliant new works. . .Moments of searing beauty that are deeply emotional.” –The New York Sun

Reviews: 

I CARE IF YOU LISTEN

"Dolce Suono Trio (and their talented colleagues) prove over and over their skill as individuals and as an ensemble, showcasing four living American composers in the process.” [FULL ARTICLE] - James May

WBAA

"Dulce Suono Trio and guest artist Lucy Shelton have really done it! American Canvas is picture perfect: beauty, composition, and playing!” [FULL ARTICLE] - John Clare

 

KATHODIK

"All the work is undoubtedly embellished by the mastery of the Dolce Suono Trio, which gives proof of great technical expertise and depth of interpretation, giving us a CD of great artistic depth." [FULL ARTICLE] - Luciano Feliciani

MUSIC WEB INTERNATIONAL

"With good recording quality and fine performances, this is another innova title that takes our awareness and appreciation of new chamber music and this particular trio formation a quantum step further." [FULL ARTICLE] - Dominy Clements

JAZZ WEEKLY

"modern harmonies, pizzicato’d pulses and bouncy flute flying over the passion...a rich dramatic event" [FULL ARTICLE]