Search - George Crumb, William Purvis, Speculum Musicae :: George Crumb: Quest

Music's dramatic master of surreal color and subtle nuance throughout the 1960's and 70's was undoubtedly George Crumb. Works such as Crumb's Lorca cycle (Ancient Voices of Children, Night of the Four Moons, etc.) And his Vietnam War-era scores (Black Angels, Lux Aeterna) immediately won an international reputation, and were quickly taken into the standard repertoire of our century. Now, this musical legend has met his equal- and it's George Crumb himself, with another landmark composition- Quest. Quest is Crumb's first completed work since 1991, with its compositions occupying the composer for more than five years- 1989-1994. Conceived as a guitar concerto, Quest uses the guitar as a leading voice amidst an ensemble of soprano saxophone, harp, contrabass and an exotic array of percussion. Bridge's premiere recording features the work's dedicatee, guitarist David Starobin alongside a stellar Speculum Musicae ensemble that included legendary saxophonist, Donald Sinta. Also given premiere recordings are the last of Crumb's Lorca pieces- Federico's Little Songs for Children, (1986); as well as the 1976 revised version of Night Music I. In both works, Speculum Musicae accompanies the superb American soprano, Susan Narucki.