This is Naxos’s fifth album devoted to the music of leading American composer, Jonathan Leshnoff. He was Grammy-nominated for his album Violins of Hope (Naxos 8559809) and is among the most frequently performed of living composers. The themes of these recent works are remembrance, memorialisation, and hopefulness. Elegy addresses ideas of harmony and discord through contrasting thematic ideas. The Violin Concerto no.2 follows the ‘symphony-concerto’ model with a resonant and lyrical slow movement inspired by Jewish mysticism at its core. Pulsating harmonies eventually subside into serene and hopeful writing in Of Thee I Sing, written in an act of creative transcendence to commemorate the 1995 Oklahoma City bombing.

This recording is Oklahoma City Philharmonic’s first full-length album since its establishment in 1988 and this year marks the 35th anniversary of their formation.

In 2018, Alexander Mickelthwate became music director of the Oklahoma City Philharmonic in 2018, and has embraced Oklahoma City and its rich and colourful tapestry. Artistically, he has programmed several concerts with a Native American theme, and has created some touching tributes to the city’s history.

First concertmaster of the Berlin Philharmonic, Noah Bendix-Balgley regularly appears with leading international orchestras and as a soloist. Recent highlights include concerto appearances with the Berlin Philharmonic, and solo engagements around the world, with extensive tours throughout Asia and Europe.

Now in its fifth decade, the prize-winning ensemble Canterbury Voices is Oklahoma’s premier symphony chorus, performing three concerts per season at the Civic Center Music Hall in Oklahoma City. Often accompanied by the Oklahoma City Philharmonic and other community partners, Canterbury consistently offers artistic and educational experiences of the highest caliber to the broadest and most diverse audiences possible in the Central Oklahoma region.