Dances of Eternity, Works for Orchestra

New music for orchestra is not in short supply if you know where to look for it. A very good example is the recent release Dances of Eternity, Works for Orchestra (Navona 5907), which features six new music works by five deserving composers.

The disk offers adventuresome and solid fare, contemporary without necessarily falling into the outer echelons of the avant garde camp. Hans Bakker gets two of his works performed; Anthony Iannaconne, Michael J. Evans, Margaret Fairlie-Kennedy, and Mark Dal Porto each are represented by one.

Without going into the details for each piece (given time and space constraints), all generally have in common a dynamic thrust, suggestions of the dance in their more rhythmic moments, an expanded tonal palette, a good sense of orchestral color and variety, and imaginative tone painting. Each composer has something to offer and the totality of distinctive compositional voices works together for a program of music that gets your attention and keeps it.

If you are interested in the new, here is one place to hear some works and composers you might not ordinarily get a chance to sample. Thanks to Navona, you can. The sonics are excellent, performances lively. I recommend you hear it!