Search - Elizabeth Maconchy, Yi [Composer] Chen, Tera de Marez Oyens :: Women Write Music

A good chance to recieve a Gramophone Award...

06/11/1999

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Just a brief run-through of the disc reveals some very interesting things. I liked the idyllic quality of the Maconchy, which is very unlike her string quartets, I must say! And the Chen Yi piece has a haunting beauty to it as well. The Tania Leon has some interesting percussion additions in it that makes for a very colorful piece, and of course the Tailleferre is marvelous. She's a contemporary craftsman that doesn't usually wander too far from home, but her works always sound a bit "on the edge." I know several other of her compositions and enjoy them quite a lot. She's probably the most "establishment" of the composers, I would judge. It's interesting that the Carwithen piece isn't anything like some of her other works. I take it she is indeed a very versatile composer. The Barbara Kolb is one I'd like to spend more time with, because it seemed very fresh to me and even whimsical in places. Glad to see these ladies don't lose their sense of humor, even when writing "serious" music. In my opinion Sir George has produced a distinguished collection of works by a much-neglected corner of the field, and I'm really glad to see that happening. Especially for that reason, but by its own merits also I hope the disc does well. In terms of sheer content and presentability, I would say it stands a good chance of being recognized by some of the more notable judges -- the Gramophone Awards, such as. In as much as the performances are concerned, I can't say that I've ever heard of the FPO, but their playing on the disc was suberb, and I found the sound quality to be balanced and satisfying."