Liner Notes
Cat. No. NWCR711
Release Date: 1996-01-01
The American Trio: Charles Avsharian, violin; Jerome Jelinek, cello; Joseph Gurt, piano; David Ireland, viola
William Bolcom (b. Seattle, WA, 26 May 1938), composer and pianist, began studying piano at the age of five. At eleven he began composition studies as a private student with John Verrall and he continued with Milhaud at Mills College (1958-61). He studied with both Milhaud and Messiaen in Paris. A period of work with Leland Smith at Stanford University (1961-64) was followed by teaching at the University of Washington (1965-66) and Queens College, CUNY (1966-68). From 1968 to 1970 he was composer-in-residence at the Yale University Drama School and the New York University School of the Arts. In 1973 he took a position at the University of Michigan, where he became associate professor of composition in 1977.
His compositions have won many awards, including two Guggenheims, several Rockefeller Foundation Awards, one from the American Academy of Arts and Letters (for his opera for actors, Dynamite Tonight, written with Arnold Weinstein) and a Koussevitzky Foundation Award. Bolcom received the Pulitzer Prize for Music in 1988.
Ross Lee Finney (b. Wells, MN 23 Dec 1906), composer and educator, was a member of a trio at the age of 12 and of a jazz group at 21. His early study in composition was at the University of Minnesota with Donald Ferguson and at Carleton College, where he taught cello and history; he also studied with Boulanger (1927-28), with Edward Burlingame Hill at Harvard University (1928-29), with Berg in Vienna (1931-32), and with Sessions (1935).
From 1929 to 1948 Finney was a member of the faculty of Smith College. He was awarded both Guggenheim and Pulitzer fellowships in 1937, and from 1943 to 1945 he served with distinction in the Office of Strategic Services. After 1947, when he was awarded a second Guggenheim Fellowship, Finney composed much chamber music and was particularly concerned with problems of structure. In 1949 he was appointed professor of music and composer-in-residence at the University of Michigan. Providing music for the chamber groups of the university's School of Music, and the need to define his ideas on the nature of music for his advanced students contributed to a decade of great creative energy. A gifted teacher, Finney soon attracted a group of talented students, among them Albright, Crumb, and Reynolds.
Finney's many honors include a Rome Prize (1960), the Brandeis Medal (1968), and numerous commissions, among them those from the Coolidge and Koussevitzky foundations and from Yehudi Menuhin for the Brussels World's Fair in 1958. In 1962 he was elected to the National Institute of Arts and Letters.
This title, originally issued on the CRI label, is now available as a burn-on-demand CD (CD-R) or download in MP3/320, FLAC or WAV formats. CD-Rs come in a protective sleeve; no print booklet or jewel case included. Liner notes are accessible via the link above.
William Bolcom (b. Seattle, WA, 26 May 1938), composer and pianist, began studying piano at the age of five. At eleven he began composition studies as a private student with John Verrall and he continued with Milhaud at Mills College (1958-61). He studied with both Milhaud and Messiaen in Paris. A period of work with Leland Smith at Stanford University (1961-64) was followed by teaching at the University of Washington (1965-66) and Queens College, CUNY (1966-68). From 1968 to 1970 he was composer-in-residence at the Yale University Drama School and the New York University School of the Arts. In 1973 he took a position at the University of Michigan, where he became associate professor of composition in 1977.
His compositions have won many awards, including two Guggenheims, several Rockefeller Foundation Awards, one from the American Academy of Arts and Letters (for his opera for actors, Dynamite Tonight, written with Arnold Weinstein) and a Koussevitzky Foundation Award. Bolcom received the Pulitzer Prize for Music in 1988.
Ross Lee Finney (b. Wells, MN 23 Dec 1906), composer and educator, was a member of a trio at the age of 12 and of a jazz group at 21. His early study in composition was at the University of Minnesota with Donald Ferguson and at Carleton College, where he taught cello and history; he also studied with Boulanger (1927-28), with Edward Burlingame Hill at Harvard University (1928-29), with Berg in Vienna (1931-32), and with Sessions (1935).
From 1929 to 1948 Finney was a member of the faculty of Smith College. He was awarded both Guggenheim and Pulitzer fellowships in 1937, and from 1943 to 1945 he served with distinction in the Office of Strategic Services. After 1947, when he was awarded a second Guggenheim Fellowship, Finney composed much chamber music and was particularly concerned with problems of structure. In 1949 he was appointed professor of music and composer-in-residence at the University of Michigan. Providing music for the chamber groups of the university's School of Music, and the need to define his ideas on the nature of music for his advanced students contributed to a decade of great creative energy. A gifted teacher, Finney soon attracted a group of talented students, among them Albright, Crumb, and Reynolds.
Finney's many honors include a Rome Prize (1960), the Brandeis Medal (1968), and numerous commissions, among them those from the Coolidge and Koussevitzky foundations and from Yehudi Menuhin for the Brussels World's Fair in 1958. In 1962 he was elected to the National Institute of Arts and Letters.
This title, originally issued on the CRI label, is now available as a burn-on-demand CD (CD-R) or download in MP3/320, FLAC or WAV formats. CD-Rs come in a protective sleeve; no print booklet or jewel case included. Liner notes are accessible via the link above.
Chamber & Solo Music of Ross Lee Finney & William Bolcom
| MP3/320 | $17.00 | |
| FLAC | $17.00 | |
| WAV | $17.00 | |
| CD-R | $17.00 |
A *.pdf of the notes may be accessed here free of charge.
Track Listing
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Piano Quartet: I. Barcarolle / Ketjak
William Bolcom
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Piano Quartet: II. Largo fantastico (Nachtstuck)
William Bolcom
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Piano Quartet: III. Intermezzo
William Bolcom
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Piano Quartet: IV. Marcia risoluto
William Bolcom
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Second Sonata in C: I. Introduction: Adagio espressivo
Ross Lee Finney
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Second Sonata in C: II. Allegro con brio
Ross Lee Finney
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Second Sonata in C: III. Adagio arioso
Ross Lee Finney
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Second Sonata in C: IV. Prestissimo
Ross Lee Finney
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Second Sonata in C: V. Conclusion: Adagio espressivo
Ross Lee Finney
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Chromatic Fantasy in E
Ross Lee Finney
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Piano Trio No. 2: I. Allegro cantando
Ross Lee Finney
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Piano Trio No. 2: II. Allegro giocondo
Ross Lee Finney
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Piano Trio No. 2: III. Adagio teneramenta ma con espressione
Ross Lee Finney
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Piano Trio No. 2: IV. Allegro marcando, tempo di marcia
Ross Lee Finney
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