Mark O'connor: The American Seasons / Yoo, O'connor, Et Al

$11.99
Label
Sony Masterworks
Release Date
September 25, 2001
Format
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    Featuring ⌄
    • COMPOSER
      O'CONNOR, MARK
    • PERFORMER
      Mark O'Conner
    Product Details ⌄
    • RELEASE DATE
      September 25, 2001
    • UPC
      696998966024
    • CATALOG NUMBER
      SK89660
    • LABEL
      Sony Masterworks
    • NUMBER OF DISCS
      1
    • GENRE
      Orchestral & Symphonic
    Works ⌄

    1. No. 1. Spring

      Composer: Mark O'Connor

      Ensemble: The Metamorphosis Chamber Orchestra

      Performer: Mark O'Connor

      Conductor: Scott Yoo

    2. No. 2. Summer

      Composer: Mark O'Connor

      Ensemble: The Metamorphosis Chamber Orchestra

      Performer: Mark O'Connor

      Conductor: Scott Yoo

    3. No. 3. Fall

      Composer: Mark O'Connor

      Ensemble: The Metamorphosis Chamber Orchestra

      Performer: Mark O'Connor

      Conductor: Scott Yoo

    4. No. 4. Winter

      Composer: Mark O'Connor

      Ensemble: The Metamorphosis Chamber Orchestra

      Performer: Mark O'Connor

      Conductor: Scott Yoo

    5. I. Fair Dancer Reel

      Composer: Mark O'Connor

      Ensemble: The Metamorphosis Chamber Orchestra

      Performer: Mark O'Connor

      Conductor: Scott Yoo

    6. II. Sailor's Jig

      Composer: Mark O'Connor

      Ensemble: The Metamorphosis Chamber Orchestra

      Performer: Mark O'Connor

      Conductor: Scott Yoo

    7. III. Captain's Jig

      Composer: Mark O'Connor

      Ensemble: The Metamorphosis Chamber Orchestra

      Performer: Mark O'Connor

      Conductor: Scott Yoo

    8. IV. Off to Sea

      Composer: Mark O'Connor

      Ensemble: The Metamorphosis Chamber Orchestra

      Performer: Mark O'Connor

      Conductor: Scott Yoo

    9. V. Pilgrim's Waltz

      Composer: Mark O'Connor

      Ensemble: The Metamorphosis Chamber Orchestra

      Performer: Mark O'Connor

      Conductor: Scott Yoo

    10. VI. Road to Appalachia

      Composer: Mark O'Connor

      Ensemble: The Metamorphosis Chamber Orchestra

      Performer: Mark O'Connor

      Conductor: Scott Yoo

    11. VII. Shine On

      Composer: Mark O'Connor

      Ensemble: The Metamorphosis Chamber Orchestra

      Performer: Mark O'Connor

      Conductor: Scott Yoo

    12. VIII. Cotton Pickin' Blues

      Composer: Mark O'Connor

      Ensemble: The Metamorphosis Chamber Orchestra

      Performer: Mark O'Connor

      Conductor: Scott Yoo

    13. IX. Pickin' Parlor Rag

      Composer: Mark O'Connor

      Ensemble: The Metamorphosis Chamber Orchestra

      Performer: Mark O'Connor

      Conductor: Scott Yoo

    14. X. Queen of the Cumberland

      Composer: Mark O'Connor

      Ensemble: The Metamorphosis Chamber Orchestra

      Performer: Mark O'Connor

      Conductor: Scott Yoo

    15. XI. Texas Dance Hall Blues

      Composer: Mark O'Connor

      Ensemble: The Metamorphosis Chamber Orchestra

      Performer: Mark O'Connor

      Conductor: Scott Yoo

    16. XII. Swing

      Composer: Mark O'Connor

      Ensemble: The Metamorphosis Chamber Orchestra

      Performer: Mark O'Connor

      Conductor: Scott Yoo

    17. XIII. Sweet Suzanne

      Composer: Mark O'Connor

      Ensemble: The Metamorphosis Chamber Orchestra

      Performer: Mark O'Connor

      Conductor: Scott Yoo

    18. Appalachia Waltz (arr. E. Meyer for orchestra)

      Composer: Mark O'Connor

      Ensemble: The Metamorphosis Chamber Orchestra

      Conductor: Scott Yoo


This selection is also available in Super Audio CD format.
Bluegrass violin virtuoso and composer Mark O'Connor has devoted a great deal of time to exploring classical forms in an effort to effectively meld them with American vernacular styles. THE AMERICAN SEASONS features three of his compositions that put a down-home spin on traditional classical structures. In the album's titular work, O'Connor gives a nod and a wink to Vivaldi and thematically fashions a violin concerto around the four seasons. The result is an ambitious orchestral extravaganza that blends folk, blues, and jazz with classical and gives O'Connor abundant opportunities to showcase his dazzling technique.
Unlike the Baroque master's famous ode to the natural divisions of the year, though, O'Connor's is not an evocation of climatic activity. Rather, it's a musical journey through the cycles of an American life, loaded with plenty of Texas-style fiddling. The 'Strings & Threads Suite' is O'Connor's take on the evolution of folk music on the violin in America, from jigs, reels, and waltzes, through blues, spirituals, swing, and bebop. The plaintive melody of 'Appalachia Waltz' is expanded to Coplandesque proportions in a moody arrangement for string orchestra. Scott Yoo and the Metamorphosen Chamber Orchestra ably assist O'Connor in his adventurous quest to merge traditions.