Maria Schneider: Winter Morning Walks; Carlos Drummond de Andrade Stories—Dawn Upshaw, soprano; Australian Chamber Orchestra; St. Paul Chamber Orchestra (Artist Share 121)
Senior Cirector of WCLV, Jenny Northern chose this disc as her favorite from 2013: "This is a case where a Choice CD opened a door to another art form. Ted Kooser’s poems set to music so masterfully by Schneider and interpreted so sensitively by Upshaw prompted me to purchase five volumes of his work, Early Morning Walks among them. Were it not for this disc, I might never have encountered this wonderful poet who is refreshingly authentic. My experience with Early Morning Walks speaks to what WCLV, at its best, can do – the station can prompt exploration and expand horizons."
Commissions from The Saint Paul Chamber Orchestra, Ojai Festival, Australian Chamber Orchestra and Cal Performances resulted in Winter Morning Walks (poetry by Ted Kooser) & Carlos Drummond de Andrade Stories (English translations of Carlos Drummond's poems by Mark Strand). This CD was the subject of a story aired on NPR's Morning Edition about jazz composer, arranger and big band leader Maria Schneider, written for the versatile vocalist Dawn Upshaw.
Originally featured: Thurs 4/4, Mon 4/15, Wed 4/24