David Chesky, born in Miami in 1956, settled in New York City in the 1970s and now identifies himself as an "urban orchestral composer." His Urban Concertos, of which he has written nearly a dozen, constitute his most substantial output. In the program notes for this recording of three of his concertos, he wrote, "Perhaps one can say my style is neo-impressionist. But I do not live on some quaint idyllic country farm, I live in the city that never sleeps! It is a hard-driving concrete jungle that pulsates around the clock." "Pulsating" is an apt descriptor for
Chesky's music, which is notable for its restlessly high energy and rhythmic propulsiveness. His slow movements, even, may be somewhat less hurried, but they have enough bristly interjections that they would never be characterized as serene. If some of his music has a weakness, it's its relentlessly scurrying or bustling quality that too rarely abates. This is most noticeable in the Concerto for piano, which is an attractive piece, but ultimately too frenetic to be fully satisfying. The first movement of the Concerto for orchestra is notable for its sassy use of quotation, including a minor-key "Jingle bells" that echoes
Mahler's treatment of "Frère Jacques" in his First Symphony. The Concerto for bassoon and orchestra is the shapeliest and most musically varied piece, but
Chesky's repeated quotation of and reference to the famous bassoon solo from the opening of The Rite of Spring cheapens the work and diminishes its effectiveness. The orchestration in all of the concertos is superb -- inventive, mercurial, and quirkily charming. The
Symphony Orchestra of Norrlands (Sweden) Opera, conducted by
Rossen Gergov, plays with high vitality, and soloists
Love Derwinger (piano) and
Martin Kuuskmann (bassoon) perform with remarkable virtuosity. The sound of the audiophile SACD is immaculate.