New Classical Tracks: A moving 'Transmigration'

The new recording, "Transmigration," with the Atlanta Symphony Orchestra and choruses, led by Robert Spano, is devoted to honor and remembrance. The title is taken from the Pulitzer-prize winning work John Adams composed in the aftermath of the World Trade Center Attack on September 11, 2001. All of the works on this recording were written by American composers, and each expresses feelings about those who will not be forgotten.

The longest piece on this disc is Jennifer Higdon's, "Dooryard Bloom," in its world premiere recording. The title and text come from "When Lilacs Last in the Dooryard Bloom'd," the moving elegy American poet Walt Whitman wrote to the assassinated President Abraham Lincoln. Whitman was a longtime Brooklyn resident, and the Brooklyn Philharmonic commissioned the piece to commemorate the 150th anniversary of the publication of his collected poems, "Leaves of Grass." For the baritone soloist, singing this 24-minute piece is a daunting task, and the words of the text are so tightly packed it can be tedious for the listener to focus. Jennifer Higdon's orchestration is sparse yet effective, giving the singer ample space to express the mournful text. Baritone Nmon Ford gave the premiere with the Brooklyn Philharmonic in 2005. Ford gives a warm, yet fervent performance on this recording with The Atlanta Symphony Orchestra.

"On the Transmigration of Souls" was composed by John Adams for orchestra, chorus, children's choir and pre-recorded soundtrack. The words sung by the choirs, and those heard in the recorded soundscape were taken from missing-person signs that were posted by friends and family members following the 9/11 attack on the World Trade Center. Personal remembrances, and randomly chosen names of some of the victims are also included. A calm mood of longing and remembrance opens this piece. Conflicting emotions begin to churn in the complex rhythms and ominous chords. Confusion turns to fear during a frantic orchestral interlude. The chorus reaches a fever pitch during the tormented climax with cries of, "Light! Sky, Day!" The composer describes this work as "a memory space -- a place where you can go and be alone with your thoughts and emotions." This work is quietly spiritual and incredibly powerful, especially in this riveting performance.

American composer John Corigliano composed his "Elegy" in 1965, dedicating it to his mentor, Samuel Barber (Barber's "Adagio for Strings appears on this recording in both its instrumental and choral arrangement). Corigliano has earned numerous awards as a composer including a Pulitzer Prize for his Second Symphony. His "Elegy" is an early work which grew out of music he wrote for an off-Broadway production of Wallace Grey's "Helen," where it provided the back-drop for the bittersweet love scene between an aging Helen of Troy and her much younger lover. Flutes and woodwinds of the Atlanta Symphony Orchestra take center stage in the tender opening section. The mood continuously shifts from quiet moments of affection in the woodwinds and horns, to tense orchestral dissonance and uncomfortable chord progressions.

The music featured on this new recording, "Transmigration," encompasses the theme of honor and remembrance. It's beautifully programmed, and beautifully performed, allowing the listener to get into that space where they can go to be alone with their thoughts and emotions, and remember.

Transmigration -- Robert Spano: Atlanta Symphony Orchestra and Choruses (Telarc 80673).

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