“Concerto” seems a misnomer for the works that share this new Naxos disc. Actually Ned Rorem’s concertos for flute (2002) and violin (1985) are more like suites for solo instrument and orchestra than concertos in any traditional sense. Both are cast in six brief movements that bear such titles as “The Stone Tower,” “False Waltz,” “Twilight,” “Midnight” and “Dawn.” The soloists typically engage in lyrical dialogues with various combinations of instruments.
Both concertos fall attractively on the ear and are beautifully played by their respective soloists, who are given fine support by the Royal Liverpool Orchestra under Jose Serebrier.
Rorem composed his Flute Concerto on commission from the Philadelphia Orchestra for its splendid principal flute, Jeffrey Khaner, who makes a persuasive case for this inventively quirky mosaic of instrumental songs without words.
The Violin Concerto also eschews overt virtuoso display in favor of a predominantly lyric impulse. The young Russian-American violinist Philippe Quint makes a poised, athletic soloist. The catalog once held a version of the concerto played by Gidon Kremer, with Leonard Bernstein conducting. But DG appears to have withdrawn that recording, so the excellent new Naxos performance has the field to itself.
A first recording of Rorem’s luminous “Pilgrims” for string orchestra (1958) rounds out this enjoyable addition to Naxos’ valuable American Classics series.
