George Walker

Reviews

"An underheard American Master"
(Fanfare Magazine, July/August 1997)

Contents:

• Orchestra
• Concertos
• Chamber Orchestra
• Chamber Music
• Piano Music
• Vocal Music

Orchestra:

Address for Orchestra (1959)

• "A Master handler of brass and wind sections." (Allmusic)
• "A major piece of great energy and thrust whose three movements are culminated by a moving Passacaglia" (San Francisco Chronicle)
• "A powerful Passacaglia" (N. Y. Times)
• "The product of a craftsman whose compositional horizons are international, this is an evocation filled with strength and urgent communication- the metrical patterns constantly fluctuating and creating a rhythmic impression of linear propulsiveness, the sonorities strange and experimental, the harmonic language highly chromatic." (Baltimore Sun)

An Eastman Overture (1983)

• "A tight-knit, brilliantly orchestrated and dramatic work" (Washington Post)

Folk Songs for Orchestra (1990)

• "Folk Songs for Orchestra....these moving transformations of simple melodic elements-- encased like gems within Walker's sensitive, original, meditative settings--into far-ranging statements invite repeat listening." (Amazon.com)

Hoopla (A Touch of Glee) (2005)

• "Energetic paean . . . strength and will combined with vibrancy and more than a bit of boldness." (Las Vegas Review-Journal)

Lyric for Strings (1946)   

• "Deserves  to be as popular as the string elegies by Grieg, Faure and Elgar". (Classical New Jersey)
• "Intense, haunting, lyrical beauty" (News Journal, Mansfield, OH)
• "Hushed beauty and passionate intensity" (American Record Guide)
• "A gorgeous find" (Cincinnati Enquirer)
• "A finely crafted and deeply felt piece" (Philadelphia Inquirer)
• "Intensely moving and beautiful" (High Fidelity)
• "It reminds one of Barber's Adagio for Strings, only less sentimental and ultimately, more profound" (Baltimore Evening Sun)
• "A Masterpiece!" (Fanfare Magazine)
• "One of the most beautiful pieces ever written" (News Journal, Wilmington, Delaware)
• "A Gem." (Baltimore Sun)
• "As a piece of gentle art . . . it has few peers." (Philadelphia Inquirer)

Pageant and Proclamation (1997)

• "A statement of tremendous power" (Classical New Jersey)
• "Colorfully scored for large orchestra, it moves from fanfare to serenity and ends with a noble brass phrase from "We Shall Overcome". (New York Times)
  
• "A powerfully affirmative tone poem" (Records International)

Sinfonia no. 3 (2003)

• "Rugged expressiveness... muscular, thrusting gestures... a dark prism of colors ...a clangorous finale" (Detroit Free Press)
• "Rugged expressiveness.. expertly controlled sway of tension and release.. dark prism of colors.. an enthusiastic performance." (Detroit News and Free Press) 

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Concertos:

Concerto for Piano and Orchestra (1975)

• "The blockbuster of the evening, full of poetry and pyrotechnics" (Washington Star)
• "A mastery of serial effects with the more traditional values of dramatic statement, effective instrumental color, attractive melodic motion" (Washington Post)

Concerto for Trombone and Orchestra (1957)

• "A bold virtuoso vehicle of considerable melodic and rhythmic power that speaks with a deeply personal voice" (High Fidelity)
• "The finest work of its kind for trombone" (The Music Connection)

Dialogus for Cello and Orchestra (1976)

• "A technically brilliant showcase for a virtuoso cellist" (Cleveland Plain Dealer)

Poeme for Violin and Chamber Orchestra (1991)

• "An elegantly crafted piece by a distinguished composer" (St. Paul Pioneer Press)
• "Dramatically expressive, lyrically intense". (Record International Catalogue)

Violin Concerto (2009)

• "An evocative works by an under-appreciated American master" (American Record Guide)
• "The real treasure trove (Albany CD, Troy 1178) is Walker's Violin Concerto" (New Music Box )
• "Destined to achieve a legendary status" (Naxos)

Chamber Orchestra:

Tangents (1999)

• "A work of originality and power" (Records International Catalogue)
• "Powerful, weighty stuff." (Music and Vision)

Orpheus (1994)

• "vividly colored (especially dramatic use of the brass) .. filled with jagged flashes of emotion". (Record International Catalogue) 

Folk Songs for Orchestra (1990)

• "A tone-poem-like transformation of simple melodic elements into an expressively far-ranging statement" (Washington Post)

Serenata for Chamber Orchestra (1983)

• "A work of challenging sonorities in three subtly contrasted movements... a strong spirit commemorated with dignity, distance, and power" (Detroit Monitor)

Chamber Music:

Abu (2004)

• "Powerful...wondrously luminous" (Philadelphia Inquirer)

Poeme for Soprano and Chamber Ensemble (1987)

• "A masterpiece of musical blend . . . a devastating work, deserving of greater attention. " (Schenectady Gazette)

Sonata for Violin and Piano, no. 1 (1958)

• "Powerful authenticity and dramatic expression...truly great music." (Classical New Jersey)
• "It's astonishing to this listener that Walker's Violin Sonata No. 1 has yet to become a staple for recitalists... This is beautiful, deeply moving music, straight from the heart, and its appeal to the most traditional of audiences is virtually guaranteed" (Star-Ledger, Newark)

Violin and Piano Sonata no. 2 (1979)

• "Walker's Violin Sonata is a knockout". (Tucson Citizen)

String Quartet no. 2 (1968)

• "The writing is delicate, clear-textured and fluid, sensitive to the need for dramatic phrases as contrast and highlight.  For all its transparency, the music has admirable momentum, fostered less by strong rhythms than by the constant variation in instrumental color" (New York Times)

Piano Music:

Prelude and Caprice (1945, 1941)

• "Prelude and Caprice....Superb craftsmanship" (Classics Today)

Guido's Hand (1986)

• "A remarkably eloquent piece" (Star-Ledger, Newark)

Sonata for Piano, no. 1 (1953)

• "Bold and compelling, with arresting harmonies". (Seattle Times)
• "A Major work... comparable to Barber's Sonata" (Fanfare Magazine)
• "In a word, masterly" (New York Times)

Sonata for Piano, no. 2 (1956)

• "Powerful, idiomatic piano writing" (Buffalo News)
• "An acknowledged masterpiece" (Barnes and Noble. com)
• "A tragic, haunting score" (Cleveland Plain Dealer)

Sonata for Piano, no. 4 (1984)

•  "The Piano Sonata is a stunning, spacious work". (American Record Guide)
• "A distinctive work of American modernism- complex, yet immediately appealing, built, for the most part, on the contrast between stark proclamations and more lyrical passages, leading to a rousing toccata" (New York Times)

Sonata for Two Pianos (1975)

• "This terse sonata was notable for its inventive fantasy and magical piano writing... Here is a most effective addition to the piano repertory which should be heard again and often.  Terrific piece!" (San Francisco Chronicle)
• "This composition is bristling with ideas, motoric energy, sophisticated craftsmanship and, in the adagio, incandescent beauty" (The Jewish Week)

Vocal Music:

Cantata for Soprano, Tenor, Organ, Boys Choir and Chamber Orchestra (1982)

• "This is a haunting, inventive piece... thought-provoking yet accessible" (Fanfare Magazine)

Lilacs for Voice and Orchestra (1995)

• "Tersely eloquent" (New Yorker)
• "Melodies soar above the orchestra like the star and bird symbols in the text" (Detroit Free Press)
• "A poignant and dramatic work with a strongly lyrical vocal line and strikingly original orchestration." (Records International Catalogue)
• "A dense, dark work that penetrates deeply into the soul of Whitman's response to the assassination of a great leader" (Atlanta Constitution)
• "There is wonderful music in this cycle, which is profoundly responsive to the images of the text- you can hear the sway of lilies in the rhythm, smell their fragrance in the harmony" (Boston Globe)
• "A style of great emotional espressivity...The masterful text-setting is accompanied by imaginative, evocative orchestral writing". (Barnes and Noble.com)
• "A work of great surface beauty and immediacy of appeal. The vocal line soars and spirals in melismas of ardent grief; the music captures the sway and fragrance of lilacs as well as the freedom of a bird's flight". (Boston Globe)
• "Masterpiece". (The Audiophile Voice)
• "Lilacs revels in orchestral imagery…poignant brooding and a quietly glittering exultation". (Los Angeles Times)

Mass for Soloists, Chorus, Organ and Orchestra (1977)

• "A powerful and poignant re-interpretation of the liturgical meaning of the ancient Latin text" (Baltimore Evening Sun)

Songs

• "Walker is at his finest. Each one is a gem". (American Record Guide)
• "Walker's way with Emily Dickinson is distinctly personal and powerful" (American Record Guide)
• "The songs are as outstanding as they are varied" (Fanfare Magazine)
• "Intriguing, sometimes daring melodies" (Houston Chronicle)
   

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