Title - Voyages - Orchestral Music by James Lee III
Artist - ORF Vienna Radio Symphony Orchestra
For those not in the know, in Voyages, prolific American composer James Lee III takes the listener on a colorful journey through his endlessly creative orchestral music.
Painting biblical imagery in Beyond Rivers of Vision and celebrating the joyous Feast of Tabernacles in Sukkot Through Orion’s Nebula, using well-known spirituals to celebrate the life of abolitionist Harriet Tubman (Chuphshah! Harriet’s Drive to Canaan) and reflecting on the ongoing fight for freedom through his grandfather’s personal experiences in WWII (A Different Soldier’s Tale), his music is played here by the renowned ORF Vienna Radio Symphony Orchestra conducted by Marin Alsop.
1. Sukkot Through Orion’s Nebula (11:44)
A Different Soldier’s Tale
2. I. Vigilant Patrol (5:46)
3. II. I Must Survive! (5:01)
4. III. Capture! Funeral? (8:33)
5. IV. Celebration on Broad Street (6:32)
Beyond Rivers of Vision
6. I. Hiddekel: Third from Life (3:52)
7. II. The 24th Day of Abib (6:56)
8. III. …and on either side of the river (6:10)
9. Chuphshah! Harriet’s Drive to Canaan (14:34)
From start to finish, James Lee III, whose intimate Ekah for cello and piano graced Inbal Segev’s 20 for 2020 Volume I, weaves a rich and reflective tapestry throughout all four of his orchestral works here.
All performed with panache by Marin Alsop and the Vienna Radio Symphony Orchestra, they begin with the euphorically triumphant, resoundingly gregarious, near 12 minute long Sukkot Through Orion’s Nebula and then bleed seamlessly into the quartet that makes up A Different Soldier’s Tale.
The intriguingly curious notations of Vigilant Patrol open the work and that is backed by the sterner, more alarming stature within I Must Survive!, then comes the more ethereally layered Capture! Funeral?, the work culminating with the triumphal championing found with Celebration on Broad Street.
Then we are brought forth the trilogy within Beyond Rivers of Vision and which itself opens with the flirtatiously skittish Hiddekel: Third from Life, the sturdy resilience of The 24th Day of Abib, culminating in the heartwarmingly vibrant melodies found within …and on either side of the river, the recording coming to a close with the wholly cinematic, 14 minute masterpiece, Chuphshah! Harriet’s Drive to Canaan.
Official Purchase Link
Official James Lee III Website
Official ORF Vienna Radio Symphony Orchestra Website
www.avie-records.com