Grammy Award-Winning BMOP/sound Releases Two New Albums: Avner Dorman: Siklòn Lee Hoiby: The Italian Lesson

Boston Modern Orchestra Project’s 25^th Anniversary Season

Available April 25, 2023 via BMOP/sound

Stream Tracks from Avner Dorman: Siklòn

Stream Tracks from Lee Hoiby: The Italian Lesson

Boston, MA (For Release 04.25.23) — Fresh off its Carnegie Hall debut, the Boston Modern Orchestra Project, led by acclaimed conductor Gil Rose, today releases two new recordings on its Grammy Award-winning in-house label, BMOP/sound. Avner Dorman: Siklòn comprises five orchestral works providing a snapshot of the composer’s wide-ranging, virtuosic craftsmanship. Lee Hoiby: The Italian Lesson includes two operatic jewels written for the acclaimed American actress Jean Stapleton and performed here by mezzo-sopranos Janna Baty and Vanessa Schukis.

A retrospective of sorts, Avner Dorman: Siklon gives listeners an opportunity to hear almost 20 years of orchestral works by the Israeli-American composer Avner Dorman (b.1975). His first large piece for symphonic ensemble Ellef Symphony (1999) laid the foundation for Uriah (2009) and Astrolatry (2011), both in content and form. The eponymous Siklòn (2016), the Haitian Creole word for “hurricane,” opens the album. Commissioned by South Florida’s Adrienne Arsht Center for the Performing Arts, it is the composer’s reflections on the mingling of different cultures, foods, politics, and arts that concoct a whirlwind of energy that is unique to the city of Miami. “Siklòn refers both to the violent nature of Miami's hurricanes, as well as the frenzy of energy that comes from a place driven by hot weather, sometimes clashing ideas, and the effervescence of youth,” explains Dorman. The Classical Source described it as, “celebratory and upbeat…driving relentlessly forward, focused more on rhythm than on melody, and suggestive of stormy weather.”

Lee Hoiby (1926-2011) was an American composer who wrote in all genres, but he is best known for his vocal music, which included operas, more than 100 art songs, and choral works. “I really like writing operas,” said Hoiby. “They work with the audiences, and it’s the experience that calls for the best I have as a composer. I’m a very lyrical composer and like writing for the voice; I also love the orchestra.” This BMOP/sound recording includes two of his works from the 1980s that have delighted audiences for many years. The comic monodrama The Italian Lesson (1982) is based on a monologue by Ruth Draper with libretto by Mark Shulgasser. It chronicles the morning activities of a formidable and pretentious Park Avenue matron of the 1920s played here by mezzo-soprano Janna Batty. Bon Appe´tit! was composed in collaboration with the composer’s friend, the famous and ebullient chef and television personality, Julia Child, based on two episodes of the well-loved cooking show The French Chef. Reflecting the television show’s format, the opera is written for a single singer, performed on the album by mezzo-soprano Vanessa Schukis playing the role of Julia Child.

About BMOP/sound         
BMOP/sound, BMOP’s independent record label, was created in 2008 to provide a platform for BMOP’s extensive archive of music, as well as to provide widespread, top-quality, permanent access to both classics of the 20th century and the music of today’s most innovative composers. BMOP/sound has garnered praise from the national and international press. It is the recipient of a 2020 Grammy Award for Tobias Picker: Fantastic Mr. Fox as well as eight Grammy Award nominations, and its releases have appeared on the year-end “Best of” lists of The New York Times, The Boston Globe, National Public Radio, Time Out New York, American Record Guide, DownBeat, WBUR, NewMusicBox, and others. Admired, praised, and sought after by artists, presenters, critics, and audiophiles, BMOP and BMOP/sound are uniquely positioned to redefine the new music concert and recording experience. Launched in 2019, BMOP's digital radio station, BMOP/radio, streams BMOP/sound's entire catalog and airs special programming. BMOP.org

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Avner Dorman: Siklòn (#1090) | Lee Hoiby: The Italian Lesson (#1091)

BMOP/sound | Release Date: April 25, 2023

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