Milton Babbitt, the composer of the works on this album, received a lifetime Pulitzer Special Award in Composition in 1982 for his distinguished and seminal contributions to American music.
Performer Biography
David Starobin, the guitarist on this album, has had over 300 compositions dedicated to him by notable composers such as Elliott Carter and George Crumb, and is known for pioneering new repertoire for the instrument.
Recording & Production
This album was first released in 1996 on Koch International Classics, with recordings taking place in New York between 1994 and 1995.
Compositional Technique
A defining characteristic of Milton Babbitt's music is its 'polyphony of movement,' where fast and slow, disjointed and regular motions coexist, often with multiple melodies occurring simultaneously even with a single note.
Compositional Technique
Milton Babbitt's music often creates a 'virtual polyphony' within a single instrumental line, an idiosyncratic approach to one of the oldest compositional techniques.
Performer Biography
William Purvis, the horn soloist on this album, made his solo orchestral debut with the Pittsburgh Symphony at age eighteen and maintains a multifaceted career as a soloist, chamber musician, conductor, and educator.
Composer's Artistic Vision
The booklet suggests that appreciating Milton Babbitt's music benefits from focusing on qualities like daring, wit, and evasion of dichotomies, rather than solely on order, structure, and rationality.
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