Kevin Puts: The City; Marimba Concerto; Moonlight in Bloomington, MN

Composer
Kevin Puts
has become quite popular, writing broadly tonal but never derivative works, including a widely performed opera,
Silent Night
, about the so-called Christmas Truce during World War I. His style is quite congenial to the conducting of
Marin Alsop
, and this album would make an ideal place to start with his instrumental music. The standout work is the
Marimba Concerto
that leads off the program.
Puts
points out that this was an early work from his student years, and it is true that the
Oboe Concerto
at the end is more complex structurally. However, composers often sell themselves short, and so it is here; the orchestral tutti are beautifully integrated with the marimba in the work. Of course, part of the success may be due to the fluent and often lyrical performance by
Ji Su Jung
on the marimba;
Jung
is the only percussionist ever to have received an Avery Fisher Career Grant, and one awaits with excitement what she will be able to do with her instrument. The
is a seriously virtuosic work, handled confidently by soloist
Katherine Needleman
.
The City
is part of a long history of works evoking urban landscapes but is perhaps less intense than most; sample and decide. The energy never flags in
Alsop
's performances here, and she is definitely the conductor one wants for this recording of music by an increasingly major composer. ~ James Manheim