The newest disc from Carlos Kalmar and the acclaimed Grant Park Orchestra includes the first full-scale orchestral recording of Kernis's Symphony in Waves (1989). Waveforms -- wind and water, sound and light -- are the undercurrents of this enchanting 40-minute spectacular of unusual sonorities and orchestral effects. The New York Times called it "remarkable," the product of the composer's "fearless originality and powerful voice."
The CD also includes world-premiere recordings of Kernis's soaring soundscape, Newly Drawn Sky (2005), and the hyper-energetic virtuoso orchestral showpiece Too Hot Toccata (1996).
It's all captured in audiophile sound by Cedille Records, whose previous recordings of maestro Kalmar with the Grant Park and Chicago Symphony orchestras have been nominated for Grammy Awards in the "Best Engineered Classical Album" category.