The three violin-and-piano works on this album are indeed icons, having all been performed frequently ever since they were composed, and they show the continuing relevance of the classic violin sonata genre in the minimalist era. The most recent work on the album is the
Sonata for violin and piano
of
Philip Glass
, and as one might expect, it receives a strong performance from violinist
Robert McDuffie
, one of
Glass
' major champions. The work seemingly hews close to the pure minimalism of
' early career, but a note of lyricism seeps in and flowers fully in the slow movement.
McDuffie
and pianist
Elizabeth Pridgen
, a fellow Georgian, catch this dynamic beautifully and wisely resist the temptation to romanticize the work. It is interesting that
'
Orange Mountain Music
label has begun to feature music by composers other than
, as if to explore
' place in the wider scene of music of the time.
and
Pridgen
manage the vaguely jazzy rhythms of
John Adams
Road Movies
well, and the early but
popular Sonata for violin and piano
John Corigliano
, a sort of American rejoinder to
Shostakovich
, receives a lively neoclassic reading. The sound is below par for
, with a bit of a lurch between the two outer works and the
Adams
, recorded in a different venue, but this is a satisfying recording of three works firmly ensconced in the modern violin repertory. ~ James Manheim