Farberman / Bizet & Shchedrin: Concerto for Jazz Drummer & Orch / Carmen Suite

Featuring

Harold Farberman
Louie Bellson
Bournemouth Symphony Orchestra
Helsingborgs Symfoniorkester
Kroumata Percussion Ensemble
Rodion Shchedrin

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Composition History

Harold Farberman's Concerto for Jazz Drummer and Symphony Orchestra was written for jazz soloist Louie Bellson, incorporating some of Bellson's melodic materials from his 'Double Concerto'.

Composition History

Rodion Shchedrin's Carmen-Suite, also known as "The Carmen Ballet," was created for his wife, Maya Plisetskaya, a celebrated primadonna, who danced the title role in its 1967 premiere at the Bolshoi Theatre.

Interpretation

The soloist's part in Harold Farberman's Concerto for Jazz Drummer indicates basic rhythmic patterns and orchestral tuttis, but allows for the widest latitude for improvisation, which is the essence of jazz performance.

Compositional Technique

Rodion Shchedrin's Carmen Ballet uses a surprising instrumental force of only strings and percussion to draw new qualities from Bizet's original music, treating it as raw material.

Composer's Artistic Vision

In his Concerto for Jazz Drummer, Harold Farberman intended the percussion section to be a virtuoso orchestral element, shadowing the soloist's virtuosity.

Performer Biography

The Kroumata Percussion Ensemble, featured on this album, was formed in 1978 and has achieved international acclaim, including winning the Swedish Gramophone Prize in 1984 for their first recording.

Performer Biography

Louie Bellson, the jazz drummer featured on this album, began his professional career at 17 after winning a competition and has since played with jazz legends like Benny Goodman, Duke Ellington, and Count Basie.