Reviews: "[Hoover's style]
incorporates elements from neoclassicism, impressionism, and more up-to-date
idioms as well as modal, ethnic, and quasi-Medieval scales. ... Dances
and Variations is a full-size (20-minute) three-movement duo for
flute and harp. I is a sprightly Allegro that deploys clever and playful
dovetailed entries of the two instruments, II a moody, rhapsodic Adagio,
and III a limpid and expansive variation-set on a winsome 18th Century
air, 'My Days Have Been So Wondrous Free', by Francis Hopkinson, described
in the notes as 'a Philadelphia lawyer and signer of the Declaration of
Independence'. This last movement--at 10 minutes the longest of the three--is
particularly delightful, brimming over with serene high spirits as it
spins out dainty contrapuntal dialogs and idyllic elaborations--themselves
'wondrous free' as the composer points out--on Hopkinson's tune. Hoover's
11-minute Divertimento, scored for flute and
string trio (like the Mozart flute quartets), shows off her neoclassic
mode to best advantage. This neatly crafted item is in two very different
movements. I is a catchy, insouciant Allegro that skips by with an elusive
rhythmic lilt, II a complex structure interleaving skirling dance episodes
with slow nocturnal music of considerable intensity. I've known and marveled
at this inventive and captivating piece for two decades [when it was issued
on LP]. Flutists looking for something commensurate to program along with
the Mozart quartets take note! Canyon Echos is
a suite for flute and guitar based on an Apache story about a flute-playing
boy and the girl who loves him but pines away and dies waiting for him
to return. This is Hoover at her most evocative and exotic. Two short
solo flute pieces, Winter Spirits and Reflections,
fill out the recital. The former is a much-ornamented invocation
also based on Amerindian legend, the latter a set of variations on an
outdoorsy Scandinavian tune. Like everything on this exceptionally rewarding
release, these are nicely performed." Lehman,
American Record Guide. * Katherine Hoover's exuberant and joyful
writing is completely unrestrained during the lighthearted Divertimento.
Likewise, Dances and Variations is buoyantly tuneful, steadily
maintaining a light and carefree demeanor, even during slower, more reflective
passages. Inspired by Native American traditions and evoking the ancient
origins of the flute, Winter Spirits is a perpetually searching,
continuous melody. Another solo piece, Reflections, consists
of free variations on an early Norwegian tune. The disc finishes with
Canyon Echos, which musically portrays an Apache folk legend
reminiscent of 'Romeo and Juliet'." Randy Nordschow, NewMusicBox,
American Music Center.
Recording: Recorded in Huntington,
West Virginia 1995-1998. Recording engineer and first edit: Denny Chandler.
Producer at recording sessions: Katherine Hoover (except Winter Spirits).
Assistant producers at recordings: Paul A. Balshaw and Linda M. Dobbs.
Post Production: Final edits: Marnie Hall.
Premastering: Marnie Hall, Leonarda Productions (New York City) and Jonathan
Marcus, Orpharion Recordings (Long Beach, CA). DDD. Support:
This recording is made possible by The West Virginia Commission
for the Arts and by The New York State Council on the Arts, a state agency.
Institutional support was provided by Marshall University's College of
Fine Arts, Graduate School Research Committee, Office of the Vice President
for Academic Affairs. Music Publisher: Papagena
Press (ASCAP). Telephone 1-212-749-3012. (New York City). Cover
Photo: Williams River photo courtesy of the West Virginia Division
of Tourism. Graphic Design: Marnie Hall. ©
2001, Leonarda Productions, Inc. All rights reserved. Made in the U.S.A.
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