The Symphonic Works of Daniel Asia: Gateways

PERFORMED BY

New Zealand Symphony Orchestra, James Sedares, Conductor. With André-Michel Schub, piano.

LABEL Summit Records [product id: DCD285]

WORKS ON THIS ALBUM BY DANIEL ASIA

Gateways for large orchestra

Piano Concerto for piano and large orchestra

Black Light for orchestra

_______________________

REVIEWS

"Schub’s performance of the challenging but listener-friendly Piano Concerto is a tour de force. Sedares and the orchestra handle the complex and varied orchestration with an excellence that underscores the New Zealand Symphony’s fine reputation….this recording should make a major step toward getting Asia the recognition he deserves."

M. BARGREEN, THE SEATTLE TIMES

"Daniel Asia is one of the most prominent American composers of his generation…Certainly the centerpiece of the disc is Asia’s 37-minute Piano Concerto…This is the deepest, most personal music I have heard from Asia."

W. SIMMONS, FANFARE

"Schub’s performance of the challenging but listener-friendly Piano Concerto is a tour de force. Sedares and the orchestra handle the complex and varied orchestration with an excellence that underscores the New Zealand Symphony’s fine reputation….this recording should make a major step toward getting Asia the recognition he deserves."

M. BARGREEN, THE SEATTLE TIMES

"The second half premiered Daniel Asia’s Gateways, a brilliant fanfare with appealing character and colorful, Stravinsky-esque harmony and texture. Its superb orchestration is evidence of the craftsmanship of this composer."

J. Gelfand, The Cincinnati Enquirer

"Schub’s performance of the challenging but listener-friendly Piano Concerto is a tour de force. Sedares and the orchestra handle the complex and varied orchestration with an excellence that underscores the New Zealand Symphony’s fine reputation….this recording should make a major step toward getting Asia the recognition he deserves."

M. Bargreen, The Seattle Times

"Asia’s celebratory “Gateways” caught the CSO full sail. Written in honor of the CSO’s 100th anniversary, the title recalls Cincinnati’s historic “gateway” role. Combining intricate rhythms and boisterous Midwestern braggadocio, it sounds like a mix of Stravinsky and Leonard Bernstein. Brassy, robust “oompahs” alternate with quieter episodes, conveying an infectious, all-American optimism… In fact, if another “Fanfare for the Common Man” (by Aaron Copland, premiered by the CSO in 1943) is to come from this season’s crop of centennial fanfares, Asia’s “Gateways” may be it."

M. E. Hutton, The Cincinnati Post