Myth, Legend, Romance

“No myths here – this is music to be enjoyed! ” – Tiina Kiik, the WholeNote

Myth: Based on an age-old Greek myth; Demeter, the Goddess of the Harvest, has her much loved daughter, Persephone stolen away by Hades, the God of the Underworld.
Legend: Inspired by the music of Erich Korngold who composed the score for the Errol Flynn version of Robin Hood, this is movie music without the movie.
Romance: Both orchestra and soloist display broad ranges of moods and colours. The soloist must play defiantly to the end in a brilliant display of strength and bravura.

These stunning concertos feature soloists Erika Raum, violin, Rivka Golani, viola, and Kurt Kellan, tuba. Raum has written sweeping, lush orchestral accompaniments that tell stories of adventure.

Elizabeth Raum has established herself as one of Canada’s most eminent composers with commissions coming from such important performing groups as the Royal Winnipeg Ballet, St. Lawrence String Quartet, Symphony Nova Scotia and many other performing organizations. Elizabeth was awarded “Classical Composition of the Year” at the Western Canadian Music Awards as well as being nominated in the same class two additional times. She was given the Canadian Composer Award by the Canadian Band Association and has three times received the award for Best Musical Score by the Saskatchewan Film and Video Showcase Awards. Elizabeth has been presented with the Commemorative Medal for the Centennial of Saskatchewan, the 125th Anniversary of the Confederation of Canada medal and in 2010 received the Saskatchewan Order of Merit. In 2004 she was given an Honorary Doctorate in Humane Letters From Mt. St. Vincent University in Halifax, Nova Scotia. Elizabeth received a commission from the Maritime Concert Opera supported by the Ontario Arts Council to write a full length opera to be completed in 2015.

Track list:

Persephone and Demeter
Erika Raum, violin, Rivka Golani, viola
Regina Symphony Orchestra
Victor Sawa, conductor
I. Persephone and Demeter
2. The Kingdom of Hades
3. Demeter Searches the Earth for Persephone
4. Zeus Reunites Persephone and Demeter

Sherwood Legend
Kurt Kellan, French horn
Calgary Philharmonic
Victor Sawa, conductor
5. Swashbuckling Hero
6. The Pensive Romantic
7. The Unabashed Scoundrel

Concerto for Violin and Orchestra
Erika Raum, violin
Sneak Peek Orchestra
Victor Cheng, conductor
8. Youth
9. Waltz with Trio (Romance)
10. Mystery
11. The Sibyl

***This album is produced under the Prairie Sounds Imprint of Centrediscs under Executive Producer, John Reid, CMC Prairie Regional Director.***

Reviews:

Three orchestral concertos telling stories ancient, old and modern by Canadian composer Elizabeth Raum are featured in this gorgeous release.

Raum has won numerous awards, grants and accolades throughout her career. Here her compositions may not be the most adventurous but her romantic-infused melodies and harmonies and storytelling programmatic ideas result in lush colours, challenging virtuosic soloist parts and clear orchestral writing. Persephone and Demeter is a tone poem based on the ancient Greek legend. The mother and daughter are musically represented by violist Rivka Golani and the composer’s violinist daughter Erika Raum. Both soloists are touching in their performances of their relationship, especially when the daughter is stolen to the Underworld. The tuba and horns of the Regina Symphony under Victor Sawa are menacing as Hades and the Underworld.

The liner notes describe Sherwood Legend as “movie music without the movie.” And so it is! In this extremely uplifting, amusing piece based on Errol Flynn’s Robin Hood, French horn soloist Kurt Kellan’s performance hits the bull’s eye in tone, touch and technique, with a fine performance by the Calgary Philharmonic under Sawa.

Concerto for Violin (Faces of Woman) is less programmatic figuratively speaking but the writing brings out a tour-de-force performance by violinist Erika Raum and the Sneak Peek orchestra under Victor Cheng. Using snippets from her daughter’s own compositions, Elizabeth has created the best musical gift a mother could give! No myths here – this is music to be enjoyed!” – Tiina Kiik, the WholeNote

This recording generously supported by:

This project is funded in part by FACTOR, the Government of Canada and Canada’s private radio broadcasters. / Ce projet est financé en partie par FACTOR, le gouvernement du Canada et les radiodiffuseurs privés du Canada.