| Well known to New York audiences as a pianist and conductor, Robert Black
had begun to make his mark on the international conducting scene when he was
suddenly cut down by cancer at the age of 43. During his last years Black turned
to composition, and this recording bears the fruit of his endeavors.
Some of Black’s finest work as a conductor came leading the Warsaw
Philharmonic, so it is fitting that this ensemble should give the recording
premiere of Black’s Capriccio (Blown Apart), of 1993. Jerzy Swoboda leads a
spectacular performance of this virtuosic and witty orchestral tour-de-force.
Black’s pianism was much admired in repertoire centering around Beethoven,
Liszt, and the masters of twentieth century music. His Foramen Habet!, of 1992,
is given a reading of preternatural intensity by pianist James Winn.
Black’s Capriccio was based on his Three Pieces for Violin and Piano, which
is preformed here by the noted chamber players, Gregory Fulkerson and Charles
Abramovic.
Also included is an "in concert" performance of Black conducting
Stravinsky’s Dumbarton Oaks Concerto. On display here is the superb rhythmic
elan and sense of line that made Robert Black one of New York’s finest
conductors during the 1970s and 80s.
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