Conservative listeners may find that
Dan Locklair's chamber works satisfy, and may defend the simplicity of his melodies, the openness of his modal-flavored tonality, and his respect for tradition, as demonstrated in his fairly conventional instrumental choices. Others, though, will balk at this 2004 release from Albany, for
Locklair's safely rooted harmonies, heavy borrowings from Impressionism, and unimaginative, lackluster timbres make his music unchallenging, tedious, and unmemorable. The daydream haziness of Reynolds Reflections (2000), the monotonous vocal setting and banal accompaniment of In the Almost Evening (1982), and the wispy atmospherics of Music of Quince (1982) cause the first disc to drag, and matters do not improve much on Disc 2.
Locklair's pretty but bland bell sonorities in ...the moon commands... (1985) and anemic writing for flute, viola, and harp in Dream Steps (1993) are wearing and confirm the suspicion that
Locklair is merely competent at his craft but far from inspired. Only Constellations for organ and percussion (1981) has any bite or vitality, but this mildly avant-garde piece seems more like a study of colors and effects than a fully realized composition. Except for the clear sound on Constellations, the quality of the other recordings is only decent.