American Music / Various - American Music Music CD

"American Music for Violin and Horn" presents 19 tracks of world-premiere recordings with music by 12 American composers. A varied program which includes original and transcribed works for violin and horn by David Amram, Vernon Duke, José Serebrier, Duke Ellington, Sean Hickey, Rebecca Clarke, Phillip Ramey, Francine Trester and several others, this album also features poetry by Emily Dickinson and Francine Trester, recited by the performers Elmira Darvarova (violin) and Howard Wall (horn). Several of the original works for violin and horn were written for these two performers (new compositions by David Amram, José Serebrier, Sean Hickey, Phillip Ramey, Francine Trester), while other works were transcribed by the performers as duets for their two instruments ("Black Beauty" by Duke Ellington, "Two Pieces" by Rebecca Clarke, "Etude" by Vernon Duke, "Calliope" & "Gramophone" by Jan Bach, two Bop-Duets by Bugs Bower, and other arrangements). Of note is Scott Dunn's arrangement of Vernon Duke's iconic standard "April in Paris", in a version for violin and horn. All 19 tracks on this album are offered in their world-premiere recordings. Violinist Elmira Darvarova (first and only woman-concertmaster of the Metropolitan Opera Orchestra) and hornist Howard Wall (a New York Philharmonic member, formerly with The Philadelphia Orchestra) offer splendid interpretations.