Orchestral Music & Concertos by Eric Ewazen

Currently one of America's finest composers (and one of the most popular in the Albany Records catalog), Eric Ewazen is on the faculty of Juilliard. About the music on this CD, Ewazen writes: "In 1992, James Houlik came over to my Manhattan apartment to show me what he could do on the tenor saxophone. His spectacular playing caused unbelievable comment from my neighbors and I was hooked on his beautiful, intense tone. His abilities at playing the most exciting and virtuosic repertoire and his total command of all ranges and means of expression inspired me to write a work showcasing his amazing talents. My Ballade was composed for my friend Jean Kopperud in 1986, who presented the work at Merkin Hall in New York City. It was written while I was guest composer at the Tidewater Music Festival in Southern Maryland. Outside my guest cottage was the beautiful Chesapeake Bay. In the balmy summer weather, with the water gently lapping the shore, I wanted to describe this unbelievably pastoral scene with music. This was the birth of the Ballade. My Flute Concerto was written in 1988 for Julius Baker, the legendary flute player of the New York Philharmonic. He premiered the work in 1989 in Merkin Hall in New York City. My Chamber Symphony was composed in 1985 for the Fairfield Chamber Orchestra, conducted by Thomas Crawford, who commissioned the work. The wonderful pianist Margaret Mills, first played the prominent piano part (played by the composer on this CD). The piano takes the role of the harpsichord in Baroque orchestral music."