Trailblazing Stuff Orchestral music by Kevin Puts - heard by GERALD FENECH '... compelling throughout ...'

I must admit, I am not much of an admirer of contemporary American music, but this CD by Kevin Puts (born 1972) struck a particular chord, if only for the highly descriptive Second Symphony. A native of St Louis, Missouri, Puts won the 2012 Pulitzer Prize for his debut opera Silent Night, and at present he occupies the post of Chairman of the Composition Faculty at the Johns Hopkins Peabody Institute. Considered one of the most important composers of his generation, Puts' language has been lauded by critics and audiences alike for its richly coloured, harmonic and inventive melodic voice enmeshed within a highly emotional framework that is compelling throughout, and the music on this disc is a prime example of the composer's innate ability to create a canvas of sound that goes straight to the core of one's imagination.

Composed in 2002, the Second Symphony is a one movement work — a symphonic poem, almost — illustrating the events of 9/11...

MARIN ALSOP

FLUTE MUSIC

ORCHESTRAL MUSIC

BALTIMORE

UNITED STATES OF AMERICA

NAXOS