Composer Jon Deak operated a young composers' program during his long tenure as bassist with the New York Philharmonic, and this collection of what he calls "Symphonic Tales" is addressed, he says, to "you -- adult and child." They aren't explicitly music for children, although children will probably enjoy them. The symphonic tales are accompanied narratives, one about wolves (B.B. Wolf is Big Bad Wolf), one a Haitian folktale, one based on Hans Christian Andersen's The Snow Queen , and the last one based on the legend ...
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Composer Jon Deak operated a young composers' program during his long tenure as bassist with the New York Philharmonic, and this collection of what he calls "Symphonic Tales" is addressed, he says, to "you -- adult and child." They aren't explicitly music for children, although children will probably enjoy them. The symphonic tales are accompanied narratives, one about wolves (B.B. Wolf is Big Bad Wolf), one a Haitian folktale, one based on Hans Christian Andersen's The Snow Queen , and the last one based on the legend from Dutch colonial times of the trumpeter Anthony van Corlaer at New York's Spuyten Duyvil creek. Deak wrote or co-wrote the texts for all four. What makes the album consistently interesting for adult listeners is the variety of treatments Deak applies to this basic form. B.B. Wolf features both the voice and accompaniment of Deak himself, playing contrabass, and the narrative and the accompaniment function as parts of the same musical line. Bye-Bye! features a flute and a...
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