With the major US political parties’ conventions officially behind us, the throughline for this week’s notable new recordings is American nationalism: violinist Augustin Hadelich’s recital of works by American composers, pianist and composer Lara Downes’ continued exploration of the American melting pot, and a compilation of solo works from Bryce Dessner, guitarist for the band The National.
“American Road Trip”
Augustin Hadelich, violin
Orion Weiss, piano
Warner
Violinist Augustin Hadelich moved to the US in 2004 and became a US citizen in 2014, so in some ways, you could consider this album Hadelich’s love letter to his adopted homeland. From the gorgeous opening of Beach’s Romance, Op. 23, through Ives’ Fourth Violin Sonata, to a disparate sampling of works by composers as varied as William Kroll, Stephen Hartke, John Adams, and Leonard Bernstein, Hadelich lets America shine as the melting pot it is. A violin arrangement of Copland’s “Hoe-Down” from “Rodeo” serves as an encore.
“This Land”
Lara Downes, piano
Dave McKeon, banjo
San Francisco Conservatory of Music Orchestra
Pentatone
Speaking of melting pots, Lara Downes is no stranger to showcasing America’s extraordinary diversity, as she did with Edmar Colón’s unique reimagining of Gershwin’s “Rhapsody in Blue” released as a single in February, coinciding with the work’s 100th anniversary. She includes the Gershwin again here alongside short compositions of Americana by Paul Simon (“America”), Kian Ravaei (Variations on “This Land is Your Land”), and Downes’ own work “This Land.”
“Solos”
Bryce Dessner, piano and guitar
Katia Labèque, piano
Anastasia Kobekina, cello
Pekka Kuusisto, violin
Lavinia Meijer, harp
Nadia Sirota, viola
Colin Currie, percussion
Sony
Bryce Dessner, classical composer and rock guitarist for the band The National, is like red meat for record labels in search of money-making crossover appeal. The good news is that Dessner also happens to be a pretty good classical composer. This album of works for solo instruments, including pianos, violin, viola, harp, marimba, and even crotales (miniature cymbals), is interesting to listen to and very convincingly performed. You’ll no doubt see the vinyl on sale at your local indie record store.
