Oregon Music

Oregon Symphony and Carlos Kalmar continue their acclaimed "Aspects of America" series with this second instalment, featuring three symphonic works that were all awarded a Pulitzer Prize. Walter Piston’s Symphony No. 7 (Pulitzer Prize 1961) is a pastoral and jubilant glorification of nature, while Morton Gould’s Stringmusic (Pulitzer Prize 1995) was composed for star cellist Rostropovich, and showcases all possible sounds and colors of the string orchestra. In his Symphony No. 4 “Requiem” (Pulitzer Prize 1944), Howard Hanson explores the mysteries of life and death in an American musical idiom that simultaneously reveals the composer’s Nordic roots.

A musical name perhaps most closely associated in many minds with the band Oregon which he co-founded, Ralph Towner (b.1940) the classical composer is particularly beloved of guitarists and is a prolific writer for the instrument.Having studied composition at Oregon University, Towner spent four years in Vienna studying classical guitar with the Czech teacher Karl Scheit. Having previously favoured the piano as a medium for his improvisational talent, Towner swung towards the classical and 12-string guitars. His very individual approach to the guitar and its tone-colour potential has been described as pianistic or even orchestral, with his renown as a performer on the guitar as high among classical musicians as in any other musical sphere. His solo recitals on the instrument have been primarily focused on his own numerous compositions, of which he has recorded over two hundred.

With an acclaimed history as the front-man and creative force behind the band Floater, Robert Wynia's work has been called "the nearest American thing to perfection" and "hard to define, yet easy to listen to again and again." His second full length solo album, titled Brave the Strange, explores change, loss, and new beginnings, all with a luscious backdrop of warm strings, vintage keyboards, and rich, melodious vocals. Featuring some of the Pacific Northwest's best and most loved musicians, Brave the Strange delivers a unique and cinematic musical landscape. Songs ranging from roadhouse blues-style Americana to hypnotic ambient soundscapes to classic album rock flow seamlessly together and leave the listener wanting more.

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