WILLIAM KRAFT: “THE SUBLIME AND THE BEAUTIFUL”;...

WILLIAM KRAFT: “THE SUBLIME AND THE BEAUTIFUL”; “GALLERY ‘83”; “DES IMAGISTES.” CRI SD 547. Inspired by paintings of Monet, Pollock and a painting of his own inspired by Kandinsky, Kraft musically portrays brushstrokes, colors and textures in “Gallery ‘83” (1983) for violin, cello, flute, clarinet, piano and percussion. This performance by members of Speculum Musicae, conducted by John Graham, brings out a canvas of multifarious, subtle nuances, each musician carefully balanced--all preserved nicely on this recording. Also included are “Des Imagistes”(1974), a declamatory study on the aesthetics of Ezra Pound for six percussionists and two narrators, and “The Sublime and Beautiful”(1979), a similar work on a text by Dostoevski performed by the Pittsburgh New Music Ensemble, conducted by David Stock, with tenor Paul Sperry.