Take Wing, Premiere recordings for piccolo by American composers, Crystal Records, 2004
Lois Bliss Herbine, piccolo/ Charles Abramovic, piano/ Sophie Bruno, harp/ Allison Herz, clarinet/ Allen Krantz, guitar. Recorded 2000-2002 at Lang Concert Hall, Swarthmore College, Swarthmore, PA. Recording, editing and co-producing: George Blood, engineer
THE HIGH AND THE MIGHTY by Michael Daugherty, SONATINE DE GIVERNY by Daniel Dorff and NIGHT FLIGHT by Howard J. Buss CD713 recording copyright Crystal Records 2004. Used here with permission. Unauthorized reproduction is not permitted.
Daniel Dorff.....................Sonatine de Giverny for piccolo and piano
"It glints, glances and summons up Debussyan chords in its opening (Les fleurs ravisantes - properly conveyed) though the heat haze stasis of the high piccolo line in the second movement is even more arresting, as is the loquacious promenade of the last of the three movements, En ville, in which there's a requisite bustle of talk and motion."- Music Web International
Allen Krantz.....................Song of Spring with little variations and fantasies for piccolo and guitar
"has Herbine beautifully shaping long-limbed phrases to the composer's guitar accompaniment" - Philadelphia Music Makers.
"In his own fanciful Song of Spring, guitarist Allen Krantz shows off a magically limpid sound." - Gramophone
Willard S. Elliot................Fantasy for piccolo and piano
"Elliot's Fantasy is an ebullient tongue twister, which stretches the player's lungs and demands fast and precise articulation." - Music Web International
David Loeb......................Preludes for solo piccolo Volume IV
"David Loeb's Preludes hint at Asian mysteries." - Gramophone
Michael Daugherty...........The High and the Mighty for piccolo and piano
"Daugherty's wonderful The High and the Mighty uses a variety of tunes and jaunty attitudes to exhilarate the imagination." - Gramophone
Vincent Persichetti............Parable for Solo Piccolo Op.125
"It isn't easy to maintain emotional intensity and a sense of structure with a single melodic line, and Herbine demonstrates how deep her musicianship goes with this material." - Philadelphia Music Makers
Stephen Mager.................Saltarello (The falcon) for piccolo and harp
"Mager's Salterello is attractive"- Music Web International. "Harpist Sophie Bruno makes a luminous contribution" - Gramophone
Howard J. Buss................Night Flight for piccolo, clarinet and piano
"Howard J Buss's musical depiction of a flight on a jetliner (no denying the aeronautical connotations of the piccolo's sleek, stratospheric sounds) is a startling tour de force." - Gramophone
Premiere recordings for piccolo by Michael Daugherty, Vincent Persichetti, Daniel Dorff and other American composers.
