Henry Cowell: Instrumental, Chamber and Vocal Music, Vol. 1 (2005)

New York-based Continuum ensemble is a first-class chamber organization under the direction of Joel Sachs and Cheryl Seltzer, winning considerable acclaim for its challenging and original approach to programming contemporary music. Continuum ensemble's relationship with the music of Henry Cowell goes back to their third season as a performing unit, and they have periodically revived and refined their interpretations of his chamber works, presenting them all over the world. Cowell: Instrumental, Chamber and Vocal Music 1 was ... Read More

New York-based Continuum ensemble is a first-class chamber organization under the direction of Joel Sachs and Cheryl Seltzer, winning considerable acclaim for its challenging and original approach to programming contemporary music. Continuum ensemble's relationship with the music of Henry Cowell goes back to their third season as a performing unit, and they have periodically revived and refined their interpretations of his chamber works, presenting them all over the world. Cowell: Instrumental, Chamber and Vocal Music 1 was recorded for Musical Heritage Society in April 1990, capturing the group in their 24th season. Ironically, the intervening time between the disc's original release and this reissue in Naxos American Classics' series has hardly created a crowded condition for Cowell's music in the catalog, and these recordings are as fresh and timely as ever.The program wisely combines items from Cowell's so-called "futurist" and "conservative" periods, and to some extent demonstrates that these... Read Less