SHOR, A.: Composer’s Notebook, Vol. 2 – From My Bookshelf / Flute Concerto No. 1
B. Abduraimov, J. Choi, Kyiv Virtuosi Orchestra, M. Caldi, D. Yablonsky
8.579140

Raymond Bisha introduces the latest instalment of a collectable series of seven albums showcasing Ukraine-born composer Alexey Shor’s appealing personal style and superb craftsmanship. The programme features vivid portraits of literary figures for piano (Behzod Abduraimov) and orchestra (Kyiv Virtuosi), similarly an homage to Glinka, and a dazzling concerto for flute (Jasmine Choi). The conductors are Dmitry Yablonsky and Massimiliano Caldi. Commenting on a previous album of Shor’s music (8.579061), MusicWeb International noted how Shor’s popularity “is easy to understand. His idiom is highly melodic, lively, varied, deftly orchestrated – and could have been written at almost any time in the last century. His gift seems to be for the miniature, and he invests his pieces with great variety.”