Carter, E: Sonata (1945-46)

1999 GRAMMY NOMINATION - Best Contemporary Composition

With this release Bridge continues its award winning series devoted to the music of Elliot Carter. This volume contain the premiere recordings of two recent Carter scores- the highly inventive Luimen and the stunning song style on Italian poetry, Tempo e Tempi. Performing on this CD are members of Speculum Musicae- the ensemble that has been most closely associated with Carter’s music during the past 30 years. The disc opens with Shard, performed by the work’s dedicatee, guitarist David Starobin. Shard is the second solo guitar work Carter has composed for Starobin, and is a brief, but highly volatile opener. Shard in its entirety was incorporated into Carter’s next work- the shimmering Luimen. Speculum’s performance of Luimen shows all the traits that have made Carter’s recent music so intriguing- great rhythmic freedom and superb control of form in combination with high spirits and good humor. Tempo e Tempi is a set of eight songs based on poems by Eugenio Montale, Salvatore Quasimodo, and Giuseppe Ungaretti. Called by annotator Malcolm McDonald, "one of the most beautiful song-cycles of recent times," Susan Narucki’s radiant performance captures these songs to perfection. Finishing this program is Eight Pieces for Four Timpani in its first complete performance on CD. It is performed by Speculum and New York Philharmonic percussion virtuoso Daniel Druckman, son of the late, great American composer Jacob Druckman.

David Starobin’s Newdance is the American guitar virtuoso’s first solo CD in more than 6 years- a disc much anticipated by guitar aficionados. Newdance consists of 18 new dance pieces by 18 leading composers, all composed for Starobin. Newdance presents an inspired and eclectic collection of new guitar music, ranging from rags, waltzes and tangos to chaconnes and courantes, to abstract visions of the dance, all performed brilliantly by the artist that Soundboard Magazine called: "arguably the most influential American classical guitarist of the 20th Century."