Lowell Liebermann London Mozart Players - James Galway plays Lowell Liebermann (7 tracks) +Album Reviews

I wanted to like this.

William Hobbs | 12/07/2001

(1 out of 5 stars)

"Having studied flute, I was excited to hear the new repertoire being hailed as an "instant classic" . . .after all doesn't the CD cover say "these compositions have become staples of the modern flute literature?" Well, give me a staple remover. How something becomes a staple within a year or two is beside the point. The music is repetitive, the harmonic language cloying, the orchestral colors almost non-existent. (I know you have to write lightly to showcase these solo instruments, but enough celesta already!) You hear a heavy John Williams influence throughout . . .unfortunately the influence does not take seed to produce an individual vocabulary. This review may not ssem "helpful" because it is so critical, but I am generally easy to please. One listen is all I could bear."

This is some of the best American flute music in years.

dreinornen | 10/15/1998

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Lowell Liebermann is known to most flutists as one of the most prolific and outstanding composers of music for flute in recent times. The three concertos on this disc are all premiere recordings and showcase not only Liebermann's ability to write for the flute, but his powerful and lyrical sense of orchestration. Galway's recording has solidified these works as classics of the flute repertoire. What is more exciting is that these wonderful concertos are available now for everyone to hear. Highly recommended."

The best flute music of the twentieth century

William Hobbs | 09/28/2000

(5 out of 5 stars)

"There is a very good reason why the music of Liebermann has become so popular with flautists all over the world. As we all know, the flute does not have a very large repertoire, and certainly not a large repertoire of good pieces. Although there have been some very good flute concertos written this past century, Liebermann's concerto has to be considered the strongest, on the basis of its melodic, harmonic and technical inventiveness, not to mention the wildly colorful orchestration that surpasses even the concertos of Nielsen and Ibert. An even stronger argument in Liebermann's favor is the very high percentage of standing ovations his pieces receive in concert. When was the last time YOU saw an audience rise spontaneously to its feet after the Prokofiev Sonata or a Mozart concerto? Add to this Galway's impeccable playing and you have a disc that every serious flute student should own, not to mention anyone interested in the future of American music."

Delicious New Wine in Fine Vintage Bottles

dreinornen | Boston, MA USA | 09/29/2000

(5 out of 5 stars)

"The concertos on this album contain some of Liebermann's most satisfying and idiomatic music, all compellingly performed by James Galway at his most committed and inspired. The slow movement of the Flute Concerto soars through lush washes of splendorous colors to emotional peaks of glorious sonority, the likes of which have been sadly absent from any composer's bag of tricks since the arching oceans of sound that flowed so effortlessly from Richard Strauss.The idea of a piccolo concerto might seem preposterous, until one hears the warm, rich voice the instrument assumes in Galway's hands. Simply put, never before has a piccolo sounded like this. The piccolo has always been something of an orchestral extravagance, added to a piece in much the same way that a chef garhishes the main course. What a revelation it is to hear this diminutive instrument's hidden lyricism swell to operatic proportions. Liebermann's music itself is significant not only for its sonic beauty and often profound emotion, but for its impeccably detailed architecture, as well. Each piece grows organically and naturally from small, meaningful sounds and figures. One is never lost, even though it may not be apparent exactly why, because the elements that hold each piece securely together are subtly interwoven beneath the surface in a masterful manner that often remains elusive to an untrained ear. In a sense, Liebermann is a musicologist's dream, for the complexity of his music unfurls in astonishing, graceful layers, somewhat in the manner of a sweet yet sharp Vidalia onion.Unhappy, cynical music critics -- most of whom are, unfortunately, bitter, failed musicians -- would be quick to dismiss the sometimes sensuous, sometimes austere lyricism of Liebermann's music as derivative. Those professional musicians among us who have had the pleasure both to hear and to perform the works of this remarkable artist know better. Liebermann's music is derivative in the same way that Beethoven is derivative of Haydn, the way Strauss is derivative of Wagner, only Liebermann draws effortlessly from the entire spectrum of Western music, to which any curious musician living in this age of recordings cannot be oblivious. There is no truly new music, and that's a good thing. Anything worth playing or hearing is a culmination of its musical heritage, which any composer is foolish to try to subjugate. All the elements of Liebermann's immediately identifiable works come together to reveal a uniquely individual musician elegantly situated along the timeline of musical history."

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