Joan Tower Piano Concerto- Homage To Beethoven
BMOP/sound, 2023
8/10
Listen to Joan Tower Piano Concerto- Homage To Beethoven
A premiere recording from the very capable performers of the Boston Modern Orchestra Project, the pianist Marc-André Hamelin, flutist Carol Wincenc, and bassoonist Adrian Morejon are all spotlighted, where the 4 pieces here pay tribute to Joan Tower’s timeless vision.
“Piano Concerto (Homage To Beethoven)” opens the listen with André Hamelin’s meticulous keys dancing around the diverse strings from the BMOP’s very dynamic players, and “Rising” follows with Wincenc’s intimate and emotive flute complementing the busy string interaction of the often cinematic delivery.
The back half belongs to “Red Maple” and “Flute Concerto”, where the former displays Morejon’s cautious bassoon skills amid rich strings, while the latter focuses on the flute again, which helps cultivate melodic, tense and soaring moments of precise song craft.
Tower earned 3 Grammys and plenty of adoration during her esteemed career, and the BMOP certainly do justice to her craft with their innovative approach to contemporary classical sounds.
Travels well with: BMOP- Walter Piston: Concerto For Orchestra; BMOP- Samuel Barber: Medea