The unique instrumentation of the three works in this album was pioneered by the innovative Lou Harrison, whose 1959 Concerto encapsulates his culturally wide-ranging aesthetic. More conventional instruments work alongside calibrated extras such as wash tubs and flowerpots in a work of colour, languorous elegance and kinetic energy. The companion works were composed in its honour: Robert Xavier Rodríguez’s Xochiquetzal evokes the ancient Mayan world in imaginary folk music to form a synthesis of time periods and cultures, while the economical serenity of Kati Agócs’s Concerto also includes bitonal effects and zesty syncopation.

The New England Percussion Ensemble was founded by Frank Epstein in 1968 and is rapidly approaching its 55th anniversary. They have recorded two albums of American percussion music for Naxos – Vol.1 (8559683) included Robert Xavier Rodriguez’s El dia de los Muertos, and was one of MusicWeb International’s ‘Recordings of the Year’ in 2011. Vol.2 is on 8559684.

Epstein is devoted to the promotion of new music and his book Cymbalisms, a complete guide for the orchestral cymbal player, is now available from Hal Leonard Music Publishers.