Search - Irving Fine, Ida Kavafian, Ursula Oppens :: Irving Fine Celebration - Great Performances from the Library of Congress, Volume 16

The music of Irving Fine, wrote Aaron Copland, "wins us over through its keenly conceived sonorities and its fully realized expressive content" and is notable for "elegance, style, finish and a convincing continuity." Fine (1914-1962) was an American composer of masterfully crafted scores who displayed a remarkable gift for lyricism, writing music that inevitably "sings". This CD documents an important occasion for Fine's music?the deposition of all of the composer's scores, sketches and memorabilia at The Library of Congress. A distinguished audience gathered at the Library's Coolidge Auditorium to hear a variety of Fine's music?ranging from his choral masterpiece of 1944, The Choral New Yorker, to the chamber works that are among Fine's most frequently heard compositions today. This CD celebrates the occasion, but more importantly, reminds us of the gifts of one of mid-twentieth century America's leading artists.