Classical Voice North America reviews the Kansas City Symphony, Michael Stern, Stephen Powell, and Joyce Yang’s world premiere recordings of Jonathan Leshnoff’s Symphony No. 3 and Piano Concerto:

“The long-lined legato strings that open the symphony immediately bring to mind works like Samuel Barber’s Adagio for Strings with its tonal modulations and harmonically resolved suspended chords. It is meditative mood music. The winds, including a contrabassoon, briefly create an unusual, dark balance. French horns, trombones, winds doubling the strings, and timpani swell the poignancy, climaxing with what sounds like long, chime-like strips of hanging metal, like broken church bells, one left, one right, that terminate the crescendo. The movement resolves as it began. What a powerful display of Stern’s grasp of form and the superb strings and winds he has shaped during his 15 years as music director. … Stephen Powell’s finely modulated but focused baritone opens the last movement with the first letter, a poetic narrative written to the soldier’s mother. Powell beautifully shapes extended vowels so that they move the line forward. … Leshnoff collaborated with soloist Joyce Yang as an adviser when writing his Piano Concerto. In it she serves up a dazzling array of expression and tone colors. … Underneath it all, the orchestra provides vital forward motion. One again, the strings are excellent. … Yang gives exciting pulse to the melodies and arpeggios with her perfect rhythmic weight and brilliant colors. … it certainly is terrific fun. The engineering is rich, embracing, detailed, and balanced. Superb liner notes by Leshnoff, the baritone’s full texts, pertinent background, artists’ information, technical details, and excellent photos add up to a first-class presentation.”

—Gil French, Classical Voice North America

See the full review on classicalvoiceamerica.org