| Label: INN Catalog: INN796 Format: CD LEE, PUI MING; BAY-ATLANTIC SYMPHONY; GAYLINWholenote Discoveries - April 2011
She Comes to Shore; Lee Pui Ming; Bay-Atlantic Symphony; Jed Gaylin; Innova 796; A favourite over the past month, She Comes to Shore is a concerto for improvised piano and orchestra by Toronto’s Lee Pui Ming performed with the Bay-Atlantic Symphony under the direction of Jed Gaylin. This busy yet meditative 2009 work is in three movements. In the first lush string textures are overlaid with a complex filigree of tintinnabulation from the piano. The second movement is much more dramatic with roiling and pounding from both the piano and the full orchestral forces. This gives way seamlessly to a gentle and extended cadenza in which the piano is eventually joined by a soaring Hollywood-like orchestral melody, primarily in the strings. This piece has been something of a guilty pleasure to the modernist in me, but it is so gorgeous that I have found myself indulging time and again. The concerto is complemented by series of solo piano improvisations, each exploring different worlds from exuberant free-form jazz to quiet contemplation. David Olds Price: $20.98 |