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| Title: Christmas Fantasy & Other Favorites |
MP3, WMA, MPC, OGG, M4A, FLAC |
| Artist: Ron McFarland |
| (c): (C) 2005 Shark Point Records |
| (p): (P) 2005 Ron McFarland |
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12.06 $ |
2005-11-02 |
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Composer Ron McFarland's music reveals much of the man, romantic and passionate, with top San Francisco musicians creating a style that is dreamy, emotional, ever direct and accessible.
A Christmas Fantasy and Other Favorites begins and ends with musical versions of "The Night Before Christmas." The opening movement of the Fantasy Concerto "On Christmas Themes" for Piano and Orchestra is a musical setting of Clement Clark Moore's poem "A Visit from St. Nicholas," better known as "The Night Before Christmas." The music begins with the quiet house where "not a creature is stirring, not even a mouse." The piano enters with the first variation of the Christmas carols "God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen" and " Silent Night," and builds to the arrival of St. Nicholas "Up On the Housetop." The second movement is "Silent Night" in the Christmas wrappings of a chorale prelude, followed by humorous variations on Leroy Anderson's "Sleigh Ride." Commissioned by Seth Montfort for the San Francisco Concerto Orchestra, Montfort asked McFarland to compose a Christmas piece with an American sound-the listener will hear echoes of American composers: Gottschalk, Gershwin and Anderson.
Ron McFarland, a California native, has known the glare of the limelight since his teens. He has been praised by major critics both as composer and pianist with comments like, "The music reveals much of the man...romantic and passionate," "compelling lyricism," "fresh and original," and "dreamy obstinate and emotional, ever direct and accessible." Renowned Bay Area music critic Stephanie von Buchau wrote, "McFarland's music has a fresh musical viewpoint. One is not assaulted by bizarre concepts or noises that pass for 'originality'... [using] traditional forms and melodic material, he aims for individual expression of emotion, and that alone is enough to make him a rare duck in contemporary music."
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