Chamber music recordings tend to bifurcate into modern and traditional, so the
Atlanta Chamber Players deserve kudos right off for this recital-style program, opening with Mozart and proceeding to a variety of contemporary works. There are three trios, and then the central work on the program, the world-premiere Songs America Loves to Sing, by John Harbison, is a quintet for winds, strings, and piano. Despite its title, it is an all-instrumental work, and one that deserves to find a place on concert programs far and wide; it is especially recommended for presenters trying to address audiences unfamiliar with classical music. Harbison takes familiar tunes ("Amazing Grace," "Will the Circle Be Unbroken," "Aura Lee" (otherwise known as "Love Me Tender"), and "We Shall Overcome," among others equally well known) and elaborates them in wholly unexpected ways. The basic division among his 10 movements is between those marked "Solo" -- those in which the melody itself is elaborated, with very subtle variation techniques -- and those marked "Canon," where canons of various kinds are derived (usually) from some part of the tune and placed in the background; the double canon that accompanies St. Louis Blues is the most intricate construction. The original tunes remain recognizable, and they're never pushed aside or treated with anything less than respect for the impact they continue to have -- but the music makes you hear them in new ways. The zippy Trio for flute, cello, and piano by Norman Dello Joio is an underrated chamber work, and the moody Slow Dance by Kenji Bunch makes a good slow movement for the program as a whole. The notes by Harbison for his own work are by themselves worth the purchase price of this disc, which just might make you an early adopter of a contemporary classic.