Search - George Frederick McKay, John McLaughlin Williams :: McKay: From a Moonlight Ceremony / Harbor Narrative / Symphony for Seattle

Truly American Music

06/13/2001

(5 out of 5 stars)

"This Naxos CD, in their American Classics Series, contains music by George Frederick McKay which is vigorous, fresh, full of Western feeling. You can smell the ocean, see the mountains, feel the peace of the forests. Of the West, yet very sophisticated and even jazzy, this music recalls for me the special qualities of the Pacific Northwest.A music lover from the Northwest. Ila Eloise Rupley"

George Frederick McKay CD's Receive Acclaim from Critics

David Saemann | 02/04/2003

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Two new CD's by Historic West Coast American Composer George Frederick McKay have received high marks by both British and American music critics. McKay's Orchestral CD from NAXOS, conducted by John McLaughlin Williams, was named to the FANFARE MAGAZINE's "Want List 2001" by two of their critics, Paul Snook and Lawrence Johnson. McKay's Chamber Music album featuring piano performances by Pulitzer Prize Winner William Bolcom, whose Opera opened at the Met in New York in December 2002, received a very favorable review from Michael Fine, Grammy winning record producer. The Chamber CD is available through Amazon USA. Both McKay CD's have received "10" ratings for artistic content from the internet's Classics Today, and have been broadcast many times on BBC, CBC, WNYC New York, WETA Washington DC, ABC Australia, KING Seattle, and Classic 99 in St. Louis, as well as on numerous NPR stations like the Wisconsin Public Radio Network. The Chamber CD has been featured as the "Morning CD of the Week," on KBPS in Portland, Oregon and has been noted for its lively and unpredictable mixture of jazz and romantic themes. The McKay Orchestral CD contains wonderful 20th Century melodic themes from the American West, including one of the few recorded examples of Native American music in the classical field. McKay was a music professor, conductor and author as well as a composer and is noted for his colorful orchestration. His book on orchestration is held by 400 libraries worldwide, and his students have won the Pulitzer Prize and a Special Academy Award in Hollywood for their compositional efforts. During his lifetime his symphony music was presented in live performances by Leopold Stokowski, Sir Thomas Beecham, Howard Hanson, Carmen Dragon, Arthur Benjamin, Milton Katims, Fabien Sevitsky and more recently Richard Hickox."

Captivating

David Saemann | 01/09/2008

(5 out of 5 stars)

"When I got this CD, I listened to it over and over. It was that enchanting. First of all, the orchestral playing and sound engineering are absolutely first rate, as they are on every John McLaughlin Williams CD on Naxos I have heard. Secondly, the pieces are vivid and interesting. From a Moonlit Ceremony very effectively weaves Native American themes with a Romantic sensibility. Harbor Narrative is filled with memorable tone painting. The Evocation Symphony is a big, brawny work that gets better each time I hear it. I would love to hear McKay's music in concert. The examples here are imaginatively orchestrated, taking full advantage of the resources of the symphony orchestra. I was reluctant at first to try this CD, perhaps because I thought of McKay as purely a regional composer. I'm happy to find out I was wrong."