This album, titled "American Music for Percussion · 1," is part of the "AMERICAN CLASSICS" series.
Performer Biography
Frank Epstein, the conductor for several pieces on this album, is a percussionist with the Boston Symphony Orchestra and founded the New England Conservatory Percussion Ensemble in 1968.
Composition History
Several works on this album, including Gunther Schuller's Grand Concerto, Robert Xavier Rodríguez's El día de los muertos, Jennifer Higdon's Splendid Wood, and Joan Tower's DNA, were commissioned by Bradford and Dorothea Endicott for Frank Epstein and the New England Conservatory Percussion Ensemble.
Recording & Production
The album features five works by contemporary American composers, ranging from pieces for three marimbas to those for a hundred percussion instruments plus celesta, harp, and piano.
Performer Biography
Frank Epstein also founded Collage New Music in 1972, overseeing the commissioning and performance of over 200 new works and producing seventeen recordings.
Recording & Production
All the pieces on this album were recorded at Jordan Hall at the New England Conservatory of Music in Boston, Massachusetts, between 2004 and 2008.
