REVIEW of VISIONS CD - by Neo-classics.co.uk

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figaro
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REVIEW of VISIONS CD - by Neo-classics.co.uk

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LAURIE CONRAD - VISIONS FIGARO RECORDINGS

This cycle of nine 'Visions' for flute and harp was written in July 2001 in Ithaca, New York, by the author, pianist and composer Laurie Conrad. Ithaca has many large and small waterfalls, two only a block away from the composer's house, and much of the music here is a kind of meditation inspired by these natural features. Laurie Conrad writes: 'I have been to the Falls nearby in the heat and sun of summer and in the cold and frost of winter, when massive icicles hung from the cliffs. A small waterfall is near the entrance to the Falls, to the right of a footpath. One then walks through a small forest to reach the large falls, which one can hear from the house on some summer nights.' The cycle was written, for the most part, in a loose 12-tone technique. They are in almost a French Impressionist style, and the composer has made ample use of the whole tone scale, especially in the harp. The talented performers are Laura Campbell (flute) and Myra Kovary (harp), and highlights include an evocative Sunlight on the Falls, Winter Birds, Music of the Spheres and The Lighthouse.
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