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Metier

American Ethos

$25.99

Details

Composer
Leonard Bernstein, Aaron Copeland, John Corigliano, Daron Hagen, JJ Hollingsworth, Margaret Ruthven
Artist
Carolyn Enger
Format
CD
Label
Metier
Released
May 22, 2026
Catalog #
MEX 77140
UPC
809730714023

About

In May 2026, Metier Records proudly presents American Ethos from acclaimed pianist Carolyn Enger, a stunning collection of works from a range of American composers, including Leonard Bernstein, Aaron Copland, John Corigliano, Ned Rorem, William Grant Still, Florence Price, and many others. Released in time for the celebration of the 250th anniversary of America's Declaration of Independence, Carolyn Enger poses the question of how to characterise American composition over so many years and throughout times of such sharp division. How can a musical 'Ethos' be encompassed in all it's various styles, sentiments, and beliefs? "I wanted to have a broad feeling of Americana," Enger explains. "Voices that have been overlooked over the years then come to light because they influenced voices that we're very familiar with." Enger has long been a champion of the piano music of Ned Rorem, and American Ethos centers his work, The Wind Remains, alongside three selections from Soundpoints, each a brief moment of distilled emotion. Rorem then stands as a starting point for connecting Enger's vision of American composition threads. Contemporary composer Daron Hagen was Rorem's first student, and we hear his Five Nocturnes, telling of a family setting down for the night. Rorem's roots in American music go deep as well, having studied with composer Margaret Bonds, who was herself a student and friend of composer Florence Price. Enger presents the African-American sacred music traditions behind Florence Price's Adoration. Price influenced many American composers beyond Bonds and Rorem, including William Grant Still. Price's influence on Grant Still is easily heard in his evocation of the divine in Seven Traceries: A Suite for Solo Piano, of which Enger plays four. Perhaps one of the most famous of American voices is Leonard Bernstein, who spoke about the healing power of music as a response to violence, and several works in this collection connect to him. His Thirteen Anniversaries, by turn tender and whimsical, celebrates 13 family members, friends, and colleagues. One of these is composer Craig Urquhart, a former assistant, represented here by The Awakening, Urquhart's birthday offering to Bernstein, and Adieu, which followed the global pandemic and 2020 political upheavals. John Corigliano's An Anniversary for Lenny is an affectionate remembrance for a 2016 Bernstein centennial celebration, and Aaron Copland's 'Our Town' Three Piano Excerpts is similarly dedicated to Bernstein. Completing Enger's vision of a comprehensive, inclusive American ethos is 'The Vastland' from Under the Blue Dome by San Francisco-based composer of Native American descent JJ Hollingsworth, conjuring the Colorado plains, and Margaret Ruthven Lang's Twilight, the first woman to have a work performed by a major American orchestra. New York City-based writer and editor Steve Smith says in his excellent booklet notes: "What emerges in this collection of disparate yet interconnected lives and works is a patchwork quilt of individual voices, perspectives, and aspirations, woven together to form a more perfect union stronger than it's parts. The music they made, informed by shared stories and songs, brings to life the sky, stone, sinew, steel, and sentiment that make up this nation - an American ethos, expressed in sound". Internationally celebrated American pianist Carolyn Enger has gained critical acclaim for her exquisite lyrical playing and her deeply felt interpretations, with many performances across the United States and Europe. Her 2013 recording of Ned Rorem: Piano Album I was on The New York Times Best of Classical list that year, and her recent Metier recording Resonating Earth, an artistic response to the contemporary climate crisis, received glowing praise: "a thoughtful programme. Enthralling" (Nigel Simeone, International Piano). Ms Enger studied at the Manhattan School of Music and is a Steinway Performing and Recording Artist.

Tracklist 31 tracks

  1. 1 Anniversary for Lenny 02:04
    Track
    1
    Title
    Anniversary for Lenny
    Duration
    02:04
    Composer
    John Corigliano Jr.
    Performer
    Carolyn Enger
  2. 2 No. 1. For Shirley Gabis Rhoads Perle 01:20
    Track
    2
    Title
    No. 1. For Shirley Gabis Rhoads Perle
    Duration
    01:20
    Composer
    Leonard Bernstein
    Performer
    Carolyn Enger
  3. 3 No. 2. In Memoriam: William Kapell 00:30
    Track
    3
    Title
    No. 2. In Memoriam: William Kapell
    Duration
    00:30
    Composer
    Leonard Bernstein
    Performer
    Carolyn Enger
  4. 4 No. 3. For Stephen Sondheim 01:14
    Track
    4
    Title
    No. 3. For Stephen Sondheim
    Duration
    01:14
    Composer
    Leonard Bernstein
    Performer
    Carolyn Enger
  5. 5 No. 4. For Craig Urquhart 01:10
    Track
    5
    Title
    No. 4. For Craig Urquhart
    Duration
    01:10
    Composer
    Leonard Bernstein
    Performer
    Carolyn Enger
  6. 6 No. 5. For Leo Smit 00:35
    Track
    6
    Title
    No. 5. For Leo Smit
    Duration
    00:35
    Composer
    Leonard Bernstein
    Performer
    Carolyn Enger
  7. 7 No. 6. For My Daughter, Nina 02:42
    Track
    7
    Title
    No. 6. For My Daughter, Nina
    Duration
    02:42
    Composer
    Leonard Bernstein
    Performer
    Carolyn Enger
  8. 8 No. 7. In Memoriam: Helen Coates 02:16
    Track
    8
    Title
    No. 7. In Memoriam: Helen Coates
    Duration
    02:16
    Composer
    Leonard Bernstein
    Performer
    Carolyn Enger
  9. 9 No. 8. In Memoriam: Goddard Lieberson 01:16
    Track
    9
    Title
    No. 8. In Memoriam: Goddard Lieberson
    Duration
    01:16
    Composer
    Leonard Bernstein
    Performer
    Carolyn Enger
  10. 10 No. 9. For Jessica Fleischmann 01:55
    Track
    10
    Title
    No. 9. For Jessica Fleischmann
    Duration
    01:55
    Composer
    Leonard Bernstein
    Performer
    Carolyn Enger
  11. 11 No. 10. In Memoriam: Constance Hope 02:44
    Track
    11
    Title
    No. 10. In Memoriam: Constance Hope
    Duration
    02:44
    Composer
    Leonard Bernstein
    Performer
    Carolyn Enger
  12. 12 No. 11. For Felicia, on our 28th Birthday (and her 52nd) 01:23
    Track
    12
    Title
    No. 11. For Felicia, on our 28th Birthday (and her 52nd)
    Duration
    01:23
    Composer
    Leonard Bernstein
    Performer
    Carolyn Enger
  13. 13 No. 12. For Aaron Stern 02:46
    Track
    13
    Title
    No. 12. For Aaron Stern
    Duration
    02:46
    Composer
    Leonard Bernstein
    Performer
    Carolyn Enger
  14. 14 No. 13. In Memoriam: Ellen Goetz 02:07
    Track
    14
    Title
    No. 13. In Memoriam: Ellen Goetz
    Duration
    02:07
    Composer
    Leonard Bernstein
    Performer
    Carolyn Enger
  15. 15 The Awakening 02:18
    Track
    15
    Title
    The Awakening
    Duration
    02:18
    Composer
    Craig Urquhart
    Performer
    Carolyn Enger
  16. 16 Adieu 05:41
    Track
    16
    Title
    Adieu
    Duration
    05:41
    Composer
    Craig Urquhart
    Performer
    Carolyn Enger
  17. 17 No. 1. Cloud Cradles 03:34
    Track
    17
    Title
    No. 1. Cloud Cradles
    Duration
    03:34
    Composer
    William Grant Still
    Performer
    Carolyn Enger
  18. 18 No. 2. Mystic Pool 03:49
    Track
    18
    Title
    No. 2. Mystic Pool
    Duration
    03:49
    Composer
    William Grant Still
    Performer
    Carolyn Enger
  19. 19 No. 5. Woven Silver 01:49
    Track
    19
    Title
    No. 5. Woven Silver
    Duration
    01:49
    Composer
    William Grant Still
    Performer
    Carolyn Enger
  20. 20 No. 6. Wailing Dawn 05:30
    Track
    20
    Title
    No. 6. Wailing Dawn
    Duration
    05:30
    Composer
    William Grant Still
    Performer
    Carolyn Enger
  21. 21 Under the Blue Dome: V. The Vastland 04:59
    Track
    21
    Title
    Under the Blue Dome: V. The Vastland
    Duration
    04:59
    Composer
    J.J. Hollingsworth
    Performer
    Carolyn Enger
  22. 22 Recalling: II. The Wind Remains 02:33
    Track
    22
    Title
    Recalling: II. The Wind Remains
    Duration
    02:33
    Composer
    Ned Rorem
    Performer
    Carolyn Enger
  23. 23 I. Looking Forward 02:52
    Track
    23
    Title
    I. Looking Forward
    Duration
    02:52
    Composer
    Ned Rorem
    Performer
    Carolyn Enger
  24. 24 II. Short Bridge 00:51
    Track
    24
    Title
    II. Short Bridge
    Duration
    00:51
    Composer
    Ned Rorem
    Performer
    Carolyn Enger
  25. 25 V. Looking Back 02:19
    Track
    25
    Title
    V. Looking Back
    Duration
    02:19
    Composer
    Ned Rorem
    Performer
    Carolyn Enger
  26. 26 5 Nocturnes: No. 5. Gwen Leone Hagan, in memoriam 02:15
    Track
    26
    Title
    5 Nocturnes: No. 5. Gwen Leone Hagan, in memoriam
    Duration
    02:15
    Composer
    Daron Aric Hagen
    Performer
    Carolyn Enger
  27. 27 Story of Our Town 02:27
    Track
    27
    Title
    Story of Our Town
    Duration
    02:27
    Composer
    Aaron Copland
    Performer
    Carolyn Enger
  28. 28 Conversation at the Soda Fountain 02:16
    Track
    28
    Title
    Conversation at the Soda Fountain
    Duration
    02:16
    Composer
    Aaron Copland
    Performer
    Carolyn Enger
  29. 29 The Resting-Place on the Hill 03:35
    Track
    29
    Title
    The Resting-Place on the Hill
    Duration
    03:35
    Composer
    Aaron Copland
    Performer
    Carolyn Enger
  30. 30 Twilight 04:30
    Track
    30
    Title
    Twilight
    Duration
    04:30
    Composer
    Margaret Ruthven Lang
    Performer
    Carolyn Enger
  31. 31 Adoration (arr. C. Enger for piano) 03:15
    Track
    31
    Title
    Adoration (arr. C. Enger for piano)
    Duration
    03:15
    Composer
    Florence Beatrice Price
    Performer
    Carolyn Enger