Search - David Diamond, Ralph Votapek, Notre Dame String Trio :: David Diamond: Trio for Violin, Cello and Piano; Quartet for Piano and String Trio; Trio in G Major

Good intro to D's chamber music

D. Castillo | Boulder, CO | 05/23/2004

(5 out of 5 stars)

"David Diamond is a composer who often gets ignored by the general listening population, but he wrote some good stuff. This CD gives a taste of both Diamond's musical styles. His lush tonal/modal style from the 30's and 40's can be found in the Piano Quartet and the String Trio. Some of the best music from Diamond (String Quartets 1-3, Symphony 3 and 4, the Psalm) came from this period of time. When he went to Italy in the 1950's, Diamond adopted some serialist elements into his compositions. The Piano Trio on this CD was written during the transition to this style. Considering how chromatic some of Diamond's harmony is, the twelve tone system seemed the only logical direction for him to continue in. Diamond's use of the twelve tone method is not as abstract as that of the Webern Cult that was emerging in America around this time. There is still a sense of gravity, as though the tonal system were still in place. There are plenty of things in the Piano Trio for the average listener to find interesting. If you want of find out more about David Diamond you might want to check out this recording."