Savage Winter
Albany, 2024
8/10
The composer Douglas J. Cuomo interprets Wilhelm Müller’s poetry cycle Winterreise, where Tony Boutté, Frank London and Alan Johnson are along for the 24 distinct selections.
“Good Night” starts the listen with Boutté’s glowing tenor that is joined by Cuomo’s electronics for a very atypical climate, and it isn’t long until “Numbness” allows for London’s soulful trumpet to flow amid Cuomo’s well timed guitars, keys and electronics.
Closer to the middle, “Rest” illustrates Johnson’s subtle piano amid strong attention to ambience, while “The Grey Head” pairs vivid storytelling with firm musicianship that’s unpredictable and cinematic.
Further still, “Signpost” benefits much from Cuomo’s spirited electric guitar as a more rock focused delivery unfolds, and “The Hurdy-Gurdy Player” exits with the keys, brass, guitar, electronics and signing intersecting at a very rich, dynamic and thoughtful finish.
Cuomo is best known for his concert, operatic, theatrical, television, and film compositions, and his influences from jazz, world music, classical and popular sounds certainly are present and appreciated here.
Travels well with: Prague Radio Symphony Orchestra- Alone/Together: The Dreams & Diversity Of The American Composer; Clara Kathleen Rogers- Songs Of The Gilded Age & Beyond