Kevin Puts: Marimba Concerto, The City & Oboe Concerto No. 2 "Moonlight"

Recommended

“…Marin Alsop is clearly a devoted advocate of Puts’ music, as this is the third recording of his music she has directed. The performances of orchestras and soloists are excellent, and Alsop directs them with an obvious understanding of the Puts soundworld. The City and Moonlight are from live recordings, but you would not know. The sound quality across all three is excellent; the marimba sounds as though it is in the room with you. I have been so impressed by this recording…”

“… Moonlight is, to my ears, Puts’s finest orchestral work to date. The Baltimore SO’s principal oboist Katherine Needleman plays her part with riveting expressivity. And, indeed, all three performances are first-rate, as is the recorded sound.”

“… This recording offers an overview of the development from his [Puts] studies to the present…Marin Alsop, as well as the Baltimore Symphony Orchestra, have contributed significantly to this composer’s prominence, as they do here. Their playing reveals the diverse aspects of the works. Thus they do not overload the Marimba Concerto with unnecessary context, and in The City they show the demanding bustle of American cities with concisely figured playing. They offer the soloists colorful panoramas on which to develop…With this fresh addition to the solo repertoire, oboist Katherine Needleman has found a rich field of activity for her instrument that she fills with virtuosity and creative inspiration.” ****