Dimensions 3 / Various - Dimensions 3 [CD]

The third installment in Navona Records' series for orchestra is here: DIMENSIONS VOL 3, featuring the work of contemporary composers Michael G. Cunningham, Andre' Godsey, Miguel Matamoro, Paul Osterfield, and Eric Simonson. Harnessing the power of a concert hall full of virtuosos performing original compositions from today's composers, DIMENSIONS VOL 3 packs a powerful punch. The compilation kicks off with the work of Dr. Andre' E. Godsey, Sr. The first movement of his Symphony Number One in C# Minor: Themes for Soren Kierkegaard is a sweeping programmatic piece imagining the life of the legendary Danish philosopher and polymath. This movement deals with Kierkegaard's heartbreak following the cutting off of his wedding engagement to the love of his life. Paul Osterfield's Silver Fantasy follows, a concertante wind ensemble piece featuring graceful lyrical passages and vibrant rhythmic energy. In Brétema, named after the Galician word referring to dense fog and clouds, composer Miguel Matamoro draws parallels between the Spanish cliffs that perpetually emerge and retreat among the smoky mist and the prism-like fluidity of his own musical idiom. Eric Simonson contributes Maples and Rondeaux avec Berlioz from his TWO PICTURES FOR ORCHESTRA. Both are based on musical "snapshots" of pieces from Beethoven and Berlioz, respectively. These quotations, taken from less well-known passages, provide the basis for Simonson's compositions, which reconsider their fragmented primary sources in a new light. Michael G. Cunningham's Symphony No. 7 and Impromptus-featuring all the sophistication and nuance listeners have come to expect from him over the years-round out the album.