CARSON COOMAN (b.1982): Sinfonia Concertante for Violin and String Orchestra, Symphony of Light for String Orchestra, Folk Fantasies for Violin, Percussion and String Orchestra, In Beauty Walking for Soprano and String Orchestra.

Description: Four especially attractive, emotionally direct works for string orchestra, full of communicative eloquence and lyricism. In Beauty Walking sets poems from Mary Austin's 1923 collection based on Native American sources, emphasizing the gently nostalgic, picturesque optimism of the texts. The Sinfonia Concertante is a suite of brief Renaissance dances in warmly generous modern tonal harmony, elegant and expressive, the gently elegiac slow movement over a ground a memorial to the fine and under-rated composer Lee Hoiby, who would surely have appreciated its heartfelt melodiousness. The three-movement Symphony of Light evokes three nature-moods in images of light, rapt and pure, a spiritual meditation on the wonders of the natural world. Folk Fantasies consists of three movements inspired by folk musics from very different cultures, elaborating on original melodies in the style of traditional Scottish, Nigerian and Shaker songs. Texts included. Leah Crane (soprano), Chloé Trevor (violin), Bohuslav Martinu Philharmonic Orchestra;  Kirk Trevor.