This 2015 Naxos album consists entirely of world premiere recordings of chamber works by Eleanor Cory, whose individualistic music is admired for its polish, craft, and integrity. Inspired by modernism and jazz, Cory draws on a variety of techniques, but central to her expression is improvisation, which is often the source of her compositions. These works present an array of styles and tone colors, though that is due more to the flexibility of her methods than to any desire to be eclectic. Whether the combination is a duet ...
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This 2015 Naxos album consists entirely of world premiere recordings of chamber works by Eleanor Cory, whose individualistic music is admired for its polish, craft, and integrity. Inspired by modernism and jazz, Cory draws on a variety of techniques, but central to her expression is improvisation, which is often the source of her compositions. These works present an array of styles and tone colors, though that is due more to the flexibility of her methods than to any desire to be eclectic. Whether the combination is a duet for flute and piano, as in Things Are, Cory's tribute to Milton Babbitt, or instrumentation with more complex textures, as in her Violin Sonata No. 1 and the String Quartet No. 3, Cory derives her ideas from what the instruments can do and what works, instead of from arbitrary systems or abstract theories. The ad hoc ensemble and the different recording venues give this CD a somewhat variable quality, though the focused sound and balanced volume levels throughout make it an enjoyable...
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