NEW ON NAXOS | APRIL 2023
WORLD PREMIERE RECORDING
Laurent PETITGIRARD (b. 1950) Si Yeou Ki (The Journey to the West) Hungarian Symphony Orchestra Budapest • Laurent Petitgirard
The eclectic career of multi award-winning composer Laurent Petitgirard has seen him become one of France’s leading musicians and conductors, as well as taking him into the worlds of opera and ballet. The Journey to the West is a ballet that tells the story of a monk named Xuanzang who is sent on a perilous journey of redemption from China to India in order to seek out the scriptures of Truth in the Land of Buddha. The ordeals of Xuanzang and his companions are expressed in music that reflects the poetry and spiritual elevation found in this great monument of Chinese literature. Key Features: • Laurent Petitgirard ’s composing career has already spanned five decades, achieving prominence with operas such as Joseph Merrick, The Elephant Man (Naxos 8.557608-09 and DVD Marco Polo 2.220001) in a score that is a ‘very French sound-world… with barely a hint of Messiaen and Boulez. …there is a place in our musical world for operas whose virtues include strong construction and secure understanding of the operatic form, along with fine musical craftsmanship’ ( MusicWeb International ). Naxos recordings of his orchestral music include States of Mind (8.574034), considered ‘very interesting, accessible music’ in the American Record Guide , and The Twelve Guardians of the Temple (8.570138), which includes another ballet, Euphonia , considered ‘dramatic and attractive… very impressive’ in MusicWeb International . • Based on the Chinese text Si Yeou Ki, The Journey to the West is a vast, immersive musical canvas that embraces both the high drama and spiritual evolution of the monk Xuanzang’s travels. This recording has the ultimate stamp of authenticity, having been conducted by the composer himself. Creating music for The Journey to the West evolved as an idea since the composer first encountered this book at the age of 16. It is a significant achievement by any cultural standards and will inevitably generate a great deal of interest both in Europe and China.
8.574392 Release Date: 28 Apr 2023
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Companion Titles – Laurent Petitgirard, Composer and Conductor
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Equinox 21st-Century Orchestral and Chamber Works – SHUYING LI • JESS LANGSTON TURNER • KEN STEEN GILDA LYONS • ROBERT CARL • JOSEPH TURRIN Robert H. Davis, Annmarie Kelly Davis, Narrators Foot in the Door Ensemble • Glen Adsit, Edward Cumming, Conductors
Foot in the Door is The Hartt School’s new music ensemble. The music featured on this album was written for – and premiered by – the ensemble, and is the work of Hartt alumni, or current and former faculty members. The pieces owe their inspiration to a TV series, to the mutations of fire, aerosol physics, political resistance, the process of breathing in meditation, and to the beauty of rebirth in the spring. The music is crafted to showcase the virtuosity and stylistic variety of this ensemble. Key Features: • The Hartt School’s Foot in the Door Ensemble is one of the most recognised collegiate new music groups in the United States. Past composers-in-residence include Joan Tower, Joseph Schwantner, Bright Sheng, Michael Colgrass, John Corigliano, Chen Yi, Zhou Long, William Bolcom and Michael Daugherty. • Edward Cumming is director of orchestral activities at The Hartt School. He was music director of the Hartford Symphony Orchestra for ten years, twice receiving ASCAP awards for adventurous programming. Before coming to Hartford, Cumming was resident conductor of the Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra, during which time he also led the Pittsburgh Youth Symphony Orchestra.
WORLD PREMIERE RECORDINGS
8.559896 Release Date: 14 Apr 2023
Companion Titles – Recent American Classics releases
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Featured Composers
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Click to listen to LI, Shuying: The Last Hive Mind
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