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Mobberley: Piano Concerto/Marimba Concerto/Arena

Amy M. Dunker | Dubuque, Iowa United States | 07/01/2000

(5 out of 5 stars)

"James Mobberley is without a doubt an important figure in contemporary American music (A Rome Prize Fellowship and a Guggenheim Fellowship are amongst his numerous accomplishments). This, the first all Mobberley recording of his orchestral works, is an excellent introduction to a younger generation composer whose music is sure to become more prominent in the future. The Piano Concerto, performed with Richard Cass as the soloist, is a musical exploration of the emotional side of parenting - excitement, fun, chaos, sleeplessness and amazingly soft moments. Musically, this work is both tender and unpredictable. The Concerto for Marimba (Four Hands) was written for (and performed by) Laurence Kaptain and Marimba Yajalon, an ensemble of four percussionist who perform on an authentic folk instrument indigenous to Chiapas and the southernmost state in Mexico. The work explores late twentieth century writing for both the orchestra and the marimba until the end where the orchestra encapsulates the sound of the traditional marimba in twentieth century sounds. Arena is the result of two years of collaboration between Mobberley and choreographer Todd Bolender. The ballet music suggests rather than describes, "evokes emotions rather than portrays action, and which mixes despair and redemption in equal measure through the use of cyclic forms". This is an excellent recording of great music and a "must have" for anyone's collection."