James Tobin said:

>My enthusiasm for the Meyer Violin Concerto was not immediate, and my
>first approach to it was not without reservation.  Although Meyer is a
>classical composer, as well as a bass player, one might not know that
>from the way SONY has been marketing some things he did with Yo Yo Ma.

I'd go along with this -- especially in light of those releases (weren't
there two?) with Ma, which struck me as definitely crossover and a little
too eager to please, even hokey or 'down home,' to have lasting appeal.
Though I doubt I'll have a radical change of mind, I may take a closer look
now.

I found this a most impressive VC; thanks for writing in/the tip.

A related point:  I was hard pressed to come up with a contemporary
full-blown, ambitious violin concerto that was anywhere as grand.  The
Schuman on Naxos is not really recent, nor are those by Piston nor even
Roberto Gerhard's.  I guess Rautavaara's is the only one that, to me, fits
that bill.

Would anyone care to suggest some other recent and impressive VCs?

Bert Bailey, in Ottawa