Nancy Galbraith:
1. Atacama Sonata *
2. Inquiet Spirits **
3. Wind Symphony No. 1 ***
4. Piano Sonata No. 1****
5. Dos Danzas Latinas*****

*Alberto Almarza, flute, Luz Manriques, piano
**Cuarteto Latinoamericano
***Carnegie Mellon Wind Ensemble, Denis Colwell, cond.
****Patricia Prattis Jennings, piano
*****Sinfonietta Ventus, Jesus Medina, cond.

Total time: 69;42

An exciting new composer

Nancy Galbraith is a Pittsburgh composer whom I'd never heard of before.
But I'm glad I obtained this recording because she's really quite good.
This disc contains a flute sonata, a string quartet, a 'wind symphony,'
a major piano sonata, and two Latin dances for wind octet. And each one
is worth listening to.

'Atacama', the flute sonata is a 17:30 minute, three movement work,
played by two Chilean musicians to whom it is dedicated. In the first
movement, Capricho, the flute is asked to bend notes in a manner
reminiscent of those haunting wooden Andean flutes. In addition the
flute goes on dizzying, dazzling flights, twittering like a demented
bird.  Later, in the second movement, Nocturno - 'in memory of the
missing,' a reference to the Desaperacidos (The Disappeared Ones) of
Latin America -  has the unusual form of a short duet for flute/piano,
followed by a long unaccompanied flute solo, then a long piano solo which
ends serenely with the flute keening softly in its highest register; I
even wondered if the flutist had picked up a piccolo. The last movement,
Volante, has rapid repeated notes in the flute like the rapid heartbeat
of a frightened animal, a tender middle section that leads back to a
reminiscence of the initial agitated section.

The string quartet, subtitled 'Inquiet Spirits,' is in a tightly
constructed single arch form movement: Introduction A B C B A Coda (the
latter recalling the Introduction). It is the most Bartokian of the
pieces on this disc, and utilizes familiar Bartok techniques like snap
pizzicati and high glisses. It is played brilliantly by Cuarteto
Latinoamericano for whom it was written.

The Wind Symphony is, for me, the least attractive of the pieces on
the disc although this old euphonium player loved the tune given to the
solo euphonium in the second movement. It is skillfully crafted and one
appealing feature is the repeated use of delicate xylophone and marimba
filigree. The third and final movement has an exciting brass, high winds
and percussion fanfare that eventually ends with a muted low brass chorale
over the quiet ticking of a snare drum.

Dos Danzas Latinas are just that - a habanera and a samba. I challenge
you to keep from moving to the sensuous rhythms of these dances expertly
written for wind octet and played beautifully by a Mexican group,
Sinfonietta Ventus.

For me the major piece here is the 15:36 minute Piano Sonata No. 1 in
three movements. The first movement is a slowed-down first cousin to the
fugue in the Barber Piano Sonata; it starts excitedly, quiets down to a
lyrical middle section and then ends with the fugue theme in Bach/Busoni
octaves in the bass. The middle movement, Religioso, begins with a
medieval open-fifths chant decorated by a disjunct, slightly eerie
descant. It builds to an intense climax in two-handed chords with more
and more added notes until they eventually become tone clusters - exciting!
The movement ends quietly and with a sense of a journey taken. The last
movement is a toccata with the brutal rhythms and harmonies reminiscent
of Revueltas's 'Sensemaya' (or perhaps 'Rite of Spring'), even more
exciting than the preceding movement! This sonata takes major technique
and pianist Chapman has it.

This disc, with pieces from several genres recorded in a number of
different venues in clear, lifelike sound by Albany Records, convinces
me that Nancy Galbraith has an original voice that deserves to be heard.

Scott Morrison