AMERICAN COUNTERPOINTS | MUSICAL AMERICA - REVIEW

When Perry met Perkinson

by: Clive Paget | April, 2024

American Counterpoints celebrates the centenary of neglected composer Julia Perry (1924-1979) who studied with Dallapiccola in Italy and Nadia Boulanger in Paris but died poor and barely performed. The world premiere recording of her 23-minute violin concerto is played here with incisive power by Curtis J. Stewart, a soloist who is also artistic director of the American Composers Orchestra and teaches at Juilliard. It’s an austere work, occasionally bleak, but the confident, often dramatic writing indicates a major talent. The Experiential Orchestra under James Blachly prove sensitive partners. No less striking is her idiosyncratic Symphony in One Movement for Violas and String Basses, a dark, bluesy tour de force shot through with spiky counterpoint. The warm-hearted Prelude for Strings, a work that would grace any concert program, and the meditative Ye, Who Seek the Truth (the vocals arranged for strings by Jannina Norpoth) make a listener eager to hear more.

Her works are complemented by music from her contemporary Coleridge-Taylor Perkinson (1932-2004). Composing mostly for film and television, he nevertheless wrote 30-or-so works in classical style. The three-movement Sinfonietta No. 1 has a mid-century European vibe (think Barber or even Gerald Finzi) and is a rewarding listen, especially the whirling “Rondo.” Stewart buttons the album with one of his own compositions. We Who Seek is a five-minute ear-tease combining rap and electronics with samples from Perry’s psalm setting.