SOLI Chamber Archive

ELLIOTT MILES McKINLEY: Infinite Landscapes = Three Portraits; String Quartet No. 7 – SOLI Chamber Ens./Martinů Q. – Navona

by Audiophile Audition | Jul 2, 2016 | Classical CD Reviews

Very compelling works with a bit of jazz feel. ELLIOTT MILES McKINLEY: Infinite Landscapes = Three Portraits; String Quartet No. 7 – SOLI Chamber Ens./Martinů Quartet – Navona NV6040, 72: 57 (5/13/16) [Distr. by Naxos] ****: The more I hear of Rhode Island based composer Elliott Miles McKinley the more I like his work. I had previously heard some of his other string quartets on a prior Navona release and I like the unique nature of his music. The opening work here, Three Portraits, was commissioned by the San Antonio Texas-based SOLI Chamber Ensemble and is scored for clarinet, violin, cello, and piano. This is a very strong and attractive piece that portrays the feel of midsummer through the eyes and ears of the composer in a very interesting way; one that seems to constantly skirt about between moods of the mysterious and the playful. For example, in “A July Watercolor” there are two themes, one ascending and one descending, as other instruments play trills and cluster chords. “August Watercolor” uses quite the blend of harmonies and thematic distributions reminiscent of Ives with elements that echo reggae styles. (I thought this movement, especially, was amazingly unusual and captivating with its ‘send […]