Michael Daugherty (b. 1954): Blue Electra for Violin and Orchestra (2022)
Michael Daugherty (b. 1954): Last Dance at the Surf for Orchestra (2021)
Michael Daugherty (b. 1954): To the New World for Orchestra (2019)

This is my first review of Michael Daugherty's music, a living US composer with an extensive tuition in many styles of composition, from Pierre Boulez's IRCAM in Paris, through Jacob Druckman, and György Ligeti through to working closely with jazz arranger Gil Evans. His compositions both reflect modern United States socio/cultural touchstones, and also a willingness, indeed a drive, to cross genres, outside the conventional borders of 'classical' music.

The current release reflects these two impetuses, on the surface there is no absolute music here, the pieces directly referencing Amelia Earhart, the air crash in 1959 that killed rock legends Buddy Holly, Ritchie Valens, and The Big Bopper following a concert at the Surf Ballroom in Iowa, and the landing on the Moon in 1969. However, I listened first without explicitly having these in my mind, and they variably stand up overall, without those cultural touch points.

I was particularly impressed by Blue Electra, in effect a violin concerto, gloriously played here by Anne Akiko Meyers. It has certain jazzy references, like for example in the fizzy second movement, and I find they sit very naturally in the overall expressive tone. There is plenty of solo fireworks for Ms Akiko Meyers to negotiate, very successfully as far as I could tell without a score. While the explicit allusion to Amelia Earhart's life adds a touching element, particularly in the last movement 'Last Flight', I did not find it necessary to realize a lot of enjoyment from the piece. The booklet quotes some poems by Earhart that are poignant in view of her life and gives inspiration for some of the music here, so there is an extra perspective available to the listener if they wish to review it.

The second composition, Last Dance at the Surf starts off energetically, with pizzicato strings, and wood blocks, reflecting a dance tune in the style of Buddy Holly according to the composer (quoted in the booklet). I would not have thought of that when listening however, so again, I think the music can be appreciated without the cultural allusion being necessary. There are some very fine sections here, with interesting orchestration, but overall I did not find it quite reached the heights of Blue Electra.

It is impossible to avoid the historical setting for the last piece, since it starts with a recording of President Kennedy's 1962 speech lauding the effort to land on the moon followed by the launch sequence of Apollo 11. Whether that gets in the way of the listener's appreciation is probably a personal assessment, I did not mind it.

The first movement 'Moonrise' has a key soprano obbligato role, sung very ably here by Elissa Johnstone. It aims to recreate the wonder and mystery of the pioneering space travel, I found it at times getting a little too close to film/TV music to fully be convinced, although again I noticed some effective orchestration.

It is followed by a short second movement introduced through a recording of Neil Armstrong's famous 'One Small Step' quote as he put the first human foot on the moon's surface. The rhythm of that phrase is then explicitly used by the composer as a kind of ostinato beat for the section, supported by the soprano singing the words. It's an interesting approach, not sure how long term the interest might last, but it does seem this piece above the others on the release is locked into a specific time and place, so maybe that comes with the territory.

I found the last movement the least convincing for me, it is intended to depict the splashdown, I found the soprano obbligato role unnecessary here, and the composition somewhat bombastic.

So, overall, an interesting release, well supported by good recording and orchestral playing, with both soloists articulating their parts well. For me, Blue Electra was particularly impressive, the other pieces more variable. The booklet has interesting insights on each piece, and Naxos should be applauded for their support of living composers.