Now hear this
Fort Worth Symphony releases 'magical' new recording live from Bass Hall
The Fort Worth Symphony Orchestra has released its 13th recording with music director Miguel Harth-Bedoya, and the maestro says No. 13 is not just lucky — it's utterly magical.
The new album features FWSO's performances of Mussorgsky’s Pictures at an Exhibition and selections from Prokofiev’s Cinderella, Op. 87, recorded live at Bass Performance Hall in April 2017 (Cinderella) and February 2018 (Pictures at an Exhibition).
“When we made these recordings, there was a particular excitement in the hall after each of the performances; we all — orchestra and audience — knew that something magical had happened," Harth-Bedoya says in a release. "In listening to the playbacks, I could hear that alchemy in the FWSO’s spectacular solo playing, and in the totality of the collective orchestral sounds, creating a warm, lush tone, as well as energetic and precise execution.”
The disc, $20, can be purchased now through the FWSO website and will be available digitally on June 1.
Harth-Bedoya calls the music from the ballet Cinderella "one of the most beautiful and expressive works that Prokofiev composed. Even though he published three different suites, they don’t quite tell the story in concert version. Therefore, I selected movements from the original ballet score to recreate the tale of Cinderella in chronological order.”
Of the famous Pictures at an Exhibition (arranged by Sergei Gorchakov), Harth-Bedoya says, “Mussorgsky’s compositions have been criticized for being hopelessly crude and amateurish, and that he lacked technique and refinement as a composer. I personally find his music haunting and engaging. Pictures at an Exhibition is one of his works that appeals to the imagination of the listener."
News of the new recording comes days after Harth-Bedoya announced he will conclude his tenure with FWSO after the 2019-2020 season. But there are plans for more albums before he leaves.
A second volume of Prokofiev piano concertos with former artistic partner Vadym Kholodenko will be released on the prestigious Harmonia Mundi label in 2019, the symphony says, as will a CD of the works of composer Jimmy López for Yarlung Records.