David Stock: Concertos

The Boston Modern Orchestra Project honors the work and imagination of Pittsburgh-based composer David Stock, who passed away in November 2015. Stock pursued residencies and performances throughout the world, but was above all an icon of the Pittsburgh music community, where he founded the Pittsburgh New Music Ensemble in 1976, served as composer-in-residence of the Pittsburgh Symphony, and was a longtime faculty member at Duquesne University. The concertos on this disc represent three musical collaborations by the composer with distinguished soloists and friends, each the dedicatee of their respective works. Cuban-born violinist Andrés Cárdenes brings fiery, magnetic playing to the Concierto Cubano. An unusual request by oboist Alex Klein to have his concerto feature all five members of the oboe family led to Oborama, whose five movements delve into the characters, quirks, and charms of the oboe and its relations. Percussionist Lisa Pegher and a consortium of symphonies commissioned the Percussion Concerto, in which Stock and Pegher achieve a breadth of expression propulsive, lyrical, and improvisatory that sheds new light on the capabilities of the percussion battery. Gil Rose and the Boston Modern Orchestra Project tie these works together with their signature panache.