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Aleksander Sternfeld-Dunn: Fireworks
Aleksander Sternfeld-Dunn composer
Kiev Philharmonic | Robert Ian Winstin conductor
Wichita State University Symphonic Wind Ensemble | Victor Markovich conductor
Robert Young Soprano/alto saxophone; Eric Palmquist alto saxophone; David Hunsicker trumpet; Nicholas Smith horn; Keri McCarthy english horn; Matthew Blauer trombone; Leonard Garrison flute/alto flute; Shannon Scott clarinet; Ruth Boden cello; Emily Sternfeld-Dunn piano; Jeffrey Savage piano
What do you get when you cross a composer, a bassist, and a conductor? It’s no joke, and neither is Aleksander Sternfeld-Dunn.
It is, however, a piece called Joker’s Wild which opens up Sternfeld-Dunn’s debut Navona Records release FIREWORKS, and it’s a doozy, a crackerjack double concertino expertly crafted and written to showcase the talents of the Cameradschaft Duo. The piece won Best in Show from the Global Music Awards in 2012.
Music for woodwinds is prominent in Sternfeld-Dunn’s catalog and on this release. Variants, featuring flutist Leonard Garrison, utilizes the form and variations method frequently favored by the composer, while …and I will love the silence… explores a very different type of structure designed to highlight the relationship between sound and its absence through the playing of English hornist Keri McCarthy.
Virtuosic writing permeates FIREWORKS, and most especially so on its title track. A shimmering concerto written for saxophonist Robert Young, Fireworks puts on a spectacular display throughout the work.
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Artist Information
Aleksander Sternfeld-Dunn
Aleksander Sternfeld-Dunn (b. 1980, Vallejo CA) grew up in the San Francisco Bay Area, was educated on both coasts and now finds himself in the middle of the country. His music combines a frenetic rhythmic language, lean textures and lyrical sensitivity. His music has been recorded and performed throughout the United States, Europe, Canada, and Asia by ensembles and organizations including the Kiev Philharmonic, The Contra Costa Chamber Orchestra, Huntsville Alabama Army Band, Composers Inc, Conundrum, The Yale Brass Trio, Scott/Garrison Duo, and Vox Novus.
Emily Sternfeld-Dunn
Emily Sternfeld-Dunn, soprano, is a strong advocate for new music and unconventional performances of art song and opera. Ms. Sternfeld-Dunn regularly gives recitals across the country featuring works of contemporary American composers. Significant performances with Hartford Opera Theater include Laetitia in Menotti’s The Old Maid and the Thief and Aunt Polly and Susy Harper in Tom Sawyer, a new work commissioned by the company.
