JOAN TOWER (b.1938): Strike Zones for Percussion and Orchestra, Small for Percussion, Still/Rapids for Piano and Orchestra, Ivory and Ebony for Piano and Orchestra (World premiere Recordings).

Description: The works heard here are part of a growing legacy that one pundit has described as “The Power of Tower.” Strike Zones (2001) is tailor-made for percussionist Evelyn Glennie’s dazzling technique and impeccable musicianship. The work’s orchestration is crafted to enhance a stage filled with percussion instruments – while in Small (2016) they are contained on a single table, the soloist working like a brilliant chef. The piano concerto Still/Rapids (2013 and 1996 respectively) was inspired by the glistening beauty and powerful force of water, and the 2009 Ivory and Ebony, written as a test piece for an international piano competition, is infused with Tower’s “high-energy” signature. Evelyn Glennie (percussion), Blair McMillen (piano), Albany Symphony; David Alan Miller.