Harrison, L: Concerto for the Violin with Percussion Orchestra

On first hearing Lou Harrison's violin concerto, Madeleine Mitchell was entranced by the colourful array of percussion and its juxaposition with the violin's innate lyricism. Indeed, this description could fit almost all the works featured on this lively, multi-rhythmic disc. Both strings and percussion blend in a unique mix of styles from early Andalucian music to a Stravinsky inspired piece, Fragments from a Gradual Process. Complex rhythms from the Ensemble Bash who use rhythms of West African drumming as the core of their playing, combined with Madeleine's interweaving lines often catch the listener in a moment of surprise.

Whilst it is a November release, it's worth noting that Madeleine Mitchell and ensemblebash will be at The Red Violin festival in Cardiff from 1st to 8th October and performing this repertoire.

One of the greatest contributions of twentieth-century American composers is the (re)emphasis of percussion. Drawing upon three fairly distinct roots-Asian influence, jazz and related Afro-Latin forms, and the experimental music movement -American composers have rediscovered percussion’s importance in relation to other global musical trends. A virtual “percussion renaissance” has influenced much of the contemporary composition since the composers on this disc began their work.

The wide-ranging colors and textural possibilities of a percussion quartet are vividly displayed on this eclectic program of new and standard works for various combinations of mallet and percussion instruments.