Orion Weiss (piano),
Buffalo Philharmonic Orchestra. Naxos CD.
Concerto in F (1925) is not as melodic as the more famous Rhapsody in Blue, but the two works are markedly similar.
The concerto avoids programmatic content in many tunes to seem more serious.
Rhapsody No.2 (1931) describes a bustling Manhattan landscape under construction, written as film music bubbling over with energy.
Weiss, with JoAnn Falletta conducting, zips into a jazzy I Got Rhythm Variations (1934), the tune from Gershwin's hit movie Girl Crazy is shaped into the form of waltz, arabesque, Chinese, and "upside down" music for the pianist's left hand before the grand finale.
Weiss handles all these works with youthful spirit and aplomb, and the orchestra responds well in an open recording of big dynamic range.
Highlight: Romping American classics.
Warsaw Philharmonic Chamber Orchestra. Naxos CD.
Conductor Antoni Wit and the Warsaw orchestra have been applauded for an excellent Penderecki series for Naxos.
This disc features six works composed over 31 years, covering the full stylistic range of the Polish composer (born 1933). It ranges from courtly baroque (Three Pieces in Old Style, 1963) to the introspective Serenade (1992), and includes the nervous, hard-edged Intermezzo for 24 Strings.
Sinfonietta No.1 has the dissonances and block chords of Penderecki's "middle period".
The artistry of Artur Pachlewski (clarinet) is heard in No.2, a 1994 transcription of his Clarinet Quartet that combines neo-classical influences with the avant-garde. Oboeist Jean-Louis Capezzali also performs well in the frantic Capriccio for Oboe and String Orchestra, an early, light but scintillating work.
Highlight: Woodwind soloists in fray with strings.
