Portara Ensemble and ALIAS Chamber Ensemble’s new release, Amorisms: Music of Paul Moravec, gets a rave review in the May issue of Gramophone Magazine in their Sounds of America section:
“Paul Moravec won the 2004 Pulitzer Prize in Music for his Tempest Fantasy, which takes up the middle portion of this new recording by the ALIAS Chamber Ensemble and Portara Ensemble, instrumental and choral groups respectively, both resident in Nashville. But it’s clear the American composer hasn’t rested on any laurels since the big honour: the two other pieces here are as enchanting as Morvec’s evocation of his favourite Shakespeare play. The Bard is also the impetus behind Amorisms (2014), five pieces for chorus, clarinet and string quartet based on Shakespearean aphorisms about love. Moravec composed the work for Nashville Ballet, and its lilting and lyrical music must be ideal for dance. The collection also moves beautifully when standing still, revealing Moravec’s ability to animate the texts through deeply poetic writing and delicate dabs of colour. … Silken textures abound in Moravec’s sound world. The capital of Tennessee is known as ‘Music City’ for its central place in country music but this recording exemplifies Nashville’s artistic excellence in the concert realm. The ALIAS and Portara ensembles perform with exceptional attention to phrasing and motion as they send Moravec’s music into radiant orbit.” —Donald Rosenberg, Gramophone Magazine
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