Artistic Quality 9 Sound Quality 8

" the Saxophone Concerto is magnificent, one of the best in its genre. Scored for quartet plus double bass (and solo sax, of course), it was written in 1964, and at that time, writing purportedly serious music that also was highly enjoyable was a brave act. Sure, the jazz influences are there, but they’re completely integrated into the larger idiom, and the performance by Glenn Morrissette is terrific.

Portraits consists of seven shortish movements: Mountains Majesty, Jerusalem (hilarious Jewish wedding music), Istanbul, Muhammad Ali (with a Latin flavor), Picasso, Einstein, and Lady Liberty. It’s quite a collection, not really intended to hang together, but rather to find unity in contrast, as it were. The performances are delightful; Joseph Silverstein and the Utah Symphony play the long first movement, Richard Williams and the Royal Philharmonic the rest. The sonics are pretty consistent given the different forces and venues. You’ll be well entertained, that’s for sure."

David Hurwitz