Patricia Morehead: Good News Falls Gently

Navona Records NV5854

"Pat [Morehead’s] own compositions are cerebrally inspired and disciplined in the best University of Chicago tradition. But they also display a feminine side in their playfulness and their intangible warmth." — Andrew Patner, Today’s Chicago Woman

A suitable CD with which to welcome in a new year!

Patricia Morehead is an accomplished composer/oboist/teacher who studied composition at The University of Chicago with Ralph Shapey and others. She is well established in USA, but her name was quite new to us.

She could be described as an eclectic modernist, as shown in this collection - see full details.

I enjoyed some of the music, but its chief importance for Musical Pointers 2012 is that the slender object received (without any insert) requires to be played on one's computer, rather than on the CD player.

It carries there a formidable catalogue of "extras", with the full notes including all personell etc, all the scores organised to turn the pages whilst listening - all that requiring some expertise to access. Most of it is to be found in the "Navona Enhanced Content" files; especially in "Goodnews.osx" [R]

It took me some time, with assistance, but it was worth it.

This was the latest innovatory recording to reach me; see those reviewed during 2011 at New Formats for Recorded Music.

Good listening in an increasingly technology dominated New Year !

Peter Grahame Woolf

P.S. Gastein Masterwork etc

Another from Navona with Several ballets, one from Schubert's unfinished Gastein Symphony, with its piano score orchestated by Michael Cunningham.

Scores and brief notes are available on line as Enhanced Content by putting the disc into your computer; enlargement of them distorts the printed music.

Not quite recommendable except to keen music-on-computer readers.

PGW