The Old Man and the Sea Archive

MICHAEL DAUGHERTY: Tales of Hemingway; American Gothic; Once Upon a Castle – Zuill Bailey, cello/Paul Jacobs, organ/Nashville Sym. /Giancarlo Guerrero – Naxos

by Audiophile Audition | Oct 5, 2016 | Classical CD Reviews

Some of Daugherty’s finest music to date in bold, innovative scenarios. MICHAEL DAUGHERTY: Tales of Hemingway; American Gothic; Once Upon a Castle – Zuill Bailey, cello/Paul Jacobs, organ/Nashville Sym./Giancarlo Guerrero – Naxos American Classics 8.559798, 77:43 (9/09/16) ****: I don’t even know where to begin in discussing this latest release from Michael Daugherty except to say that I love it! I have followed Michael’s music for many years now and I have all his recordings. This one might be my favorite. The “theme” to this album is not really that of the title work; a brilliant and often moving cello concerto inspired by the novels of Ernest Hemingway, but it is really that of the maverick and eccentric spirit in American art and written with much implied respect to this country where being a maverick, eccentric and occasionally controversial personality is still possible. To this end, Daugherty has crafted three stunning works which pay homage to the reclusive Hemingway, the often wry and bizarre art of Grant Wood and the unabashedly extravagant William Randolph Hearst. The Hemingway piece, Tales of Hemingway, is a beautiful and inventive four movement cello concerto performed wonderfully by the always amazing Zuill Bailey. The novels […]