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SOUNDS OF AMERICA I N K S B A D A M : P H O T O G R A P H Y Edward Leung and Usha Kapoor explore the contrasting sound worlds of Amy Beach and John Corigliano in their account of the two composers’ violin sonatas third volume of his orchestral works (5/19) my pick the previous year; can Vol 4 follow in their wake? Well, every chance! This is another fascinating programme, compelling and appealing in equal measure, superbly played by the London Philharmonic Orchestra – who sound as if they have been playing this music all their lives (rather than just in occasional visits to the studio over the past 10 years) – under Nick Palmer, who joined the project for Vol 2, taking over from David Amos. Rosner (1945-2013) was eclectic as a composer, and these four works – the digital version of the album has a bonus track, the bracing Canzona secundi toni for brass (1975) – are fine examples of how he synthesised elements from the entire history of Western music into his unique personal style. While it is fun to tick off the allusions – Shostakovich here, Bach there, John Adams-like minimalism in a key episode in the harrowing symphonic poem A My Lai Elegy (1970-71, rev 1993) – these should not distract from the symphonic thrust and laser focus of Rosner’s expressive purpose. The Scherzo salvaged from Rosner’s withdrawn Fourth Symphony (1964) is a gem of a piece and would make a splendid concert opener. The Concerto grosso No 2 (1979) is another real find, an orchestral concerto more in the Hindemithian mould than the Bartókian, a work of real depth. The Variations on a Theme by Frank Martin (1996) is more relaxed, a beautifully crafted tribute to the Swiss master. A My Lai Elegy is the largest and deepest work on the album, a 25-minute protest at the appalling 1968 massacre of over 500 civilians of all ages during the Vietnam War, but also prompted by the shootings of students in 1970-71 at campuses in Ohio and Mississippi. It is music of horror and nightmare, mostly not graphic – the percussive outbursts do sound like fusillades – but rather of the theatre of the imagination, deeply unsettling and utterly gripping. Very strongly recommended. Guy Rickards Tchaikovsky Symphonies – No 4, Op 36; No 5, Op 64; No 6, ‘Pathétique’, Op 74 Park Avenue Symphony Orchestra / David Bernard Recursive (RC4789671 b • 133’) David Bernard and his dedicated amateur orchestra continue their recorded traversal of the standard orchestral repertoire with this set of Tchaikovsky’s final three symphonies. These performances have tremendous spirit and some of the playing is extremely impressive. As is to be expected, the string sound is relatively underpowered, there are minor intonation issues throughout and at times ensemble can be a little tentative, especially when rhythms get tricky (often, in Tchaikovsky’s music, what appears to be played on the beat is actually off the beat), as at 9'09" in the first movement of the Fourth. But the principal woodwinds all acquit themselves admirably, and the music-making in the Fourth’s Scherzo and finale convey a sense of joy – note the affectionate phrasing in the lyrical passage at 2'30" in the latter. The Fifth is quite passionate – just listen to the first movement’s white-hot coda, or to how the orchestra dig into the finale with audible gusto. The Sixth is also a fine performance with a good sense of overall structure and sensitive attention to detail. I’m fairly certain it’s the same performance that was released previously (3/18), although the booklet lists all three symphonies as having been recorded in early 2022. Either way, Jed Distler’s summation of that earlier release – ‘impressively elegant, thoughtful, wellbalanced and sophisticated’ – applies here as well. Andrew Farach-Colton Velvet Brown Bonner Naptown Kellaway Dr Martin Luther King, in memoriam Kupferman Sound Objects 1 3 J Stevens Monument York How Beautiful Velvet Brown tuba Amy Gilreath tpt Ron Stabinsky pf Crystal Records (CD696 • 57’) gramophone.co.uk GRAMOPHONE MAY 2024 III

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