Terrific Piano Concerto by Kenneth Fuchs

My reason for posting a review of this disc is primarily for the Piano Concerto, which I enjoyed very much. (More on that below.)

I listened first to Glacier, for electric guitar and orchestra. We're treated to 22 minutes of some richly colorful orchestration, typical of this composer, but the electric guitar seems to be a bit of an afterthought. The solo part didn't add a whole lot to the music and I found the piece to be largely forgettable.

Rush, for alto sax and orchestra, is better, and is one of this composer's best known works. It is well done here. And it should be noted there is another version of it transcribed for concert band, which works extraordinarily well. It can heard on a 2018 Naxos collection of wind band music by this composer. 

I skipped the piece for countertenor, as that is not my thing.

But then there's the Piano Concerto, which comes first on this disc, which is simply terrific. This piece should surely put Mr. Fuchs on the musical map. It is richly creative, colorfully scored and musically enriching. It deserves a place in the standard repertoire and I hope it becomes better known. It receives a stellar performance here played by pianist Jeffrey Biegel. 

This Naxos disc is definitely worth it for the piano concerto alone. JoAnn Falletta is as wonderful as ever bringing this music to life, aided by competent sight-reading from the LSO and excellent recorded sound.