Richmond Symphony - Mason Bates: Children of Adam - Vaughan Williams: Dona nobis pacem (Live) (2019) [Hi-Res]

Groundbreaking new music from Mason Bates and the Richmond Symphony! Reference Recordings is proud to present a World Première recording of MASON BATES: Children of Adam, songs of creation Commissioned by the Richmond Symphony; coupled with RALPH VAUGHAN WILLIAMS: Dona nobis pacem. These pieces both draw inspiration from Walt Whitman s poetry and this release celebrates his bicentennial (born 1819). Children of Adam is a collection of exuberant celebrations of creation, from American poets to sacred and Native American texts. The title comes from a Whitman poem that appears throughout the work in the form of brief "fanfare intermezzos." Between these choral fanfares, each movement of the work offers a different perspective on creation. Recently named the most-performed composer of his generation and the 2018 Composer of the Year by Musical America, Mason Bates serves as the first composer-in-residence of the Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts. Championed by renowned conductors such as Riccardo Muti, Michael Tilson Thomas, and Leonard Slatkin, his symphonic work has received widespread acceptance for its unique integration of electronic sounds, and his opera The (R)evolution of Steve Jobs, won a GRAMMY® Award for Best Opera Recording.

Praised for his “unerringly paced,” “sensitive and deeply focused” interpretations, Steven Smith’s performances have been described as possessing “great concentration and gripping tonal drama” and whose “most impressive achievement was coloristic.” “A singer’s conductor,” he “shows a real gift for delivering a theatrical punch.”

Richmond Symphony
Richmond Symphony Chorus
Steven Smith, conductor