Cello Concerto (2020)
Rhapsody for Violin and Orchestra (2016)
The Highway, an opera noir (1992) {excerpts}
Song of the Sky for Harp and Orchestra (2022)

Music with a modern and contemporary demeanor to it, but with a deeply rooted old-school sound and feel at its foundation. This is how I would best describe the music of American composer Jeremy Beck (b. 1960). As I had remarked within a previous review of his By Moonlight release, "all in all Jeremy Beck's music is of an upbeat nature", even within the more dramatically intense moments.

A prime example of this can be heard in the opening movement of his Cello Concerto, a recent work composed in 2020 which exudes more of a 1920s expressive character. Although marked slower, pensive, its main motif's forceful and resolute character keeps it moving buoyantly forward. It also commands total expressive commitment from the soloist which it fully enjoys at the hands of cellist Atanas Krastev.

On the flip side of the coin, the opera The Highway, "a controversial opera - involving murder, suicide, sex trafficking, parallel time structures, and the integration of a rock band in the orchestration - perhaps appeared too experimental and provocative to ever receive a fully-staged performance" {booklet notes}, aligns perfectly with its 1990s vintage. The singing may come across as being part of a musical, but the orchestral writing and orchestration more than compensate for that. I've heard many an opera from around the same time that are insufferable to sit through, but Jeremy Beck's evocative writing, based on what I hear in these excerpts, makes for a compelling and satisfying listen.

As well, the title track Song of the Sky for harp and orchestra, with shimmering playing by harpist Denitza Dimitrova, is a captivating listen from start to finish. Altogether works from a 21st century composer who respects music well enough to present it as such.