Bennett / Duke: Violin Concertos

Both violin concertos on this album were neglected for a long time for the same reason: Their composers were better known for their achievements in musical theatre than for their works for the concert hall. Robert Russell Bennett studied composition in Paris with Nadia Boulanger and composed seven symphonies, among other works. He also orchestrated some of the most famous musicals in Broadway history, including works by George Gershwin, Cole Porter, and Rodgers and Hammerstein. (Richard Rodgers modestly claimed that Bennett's skills in orchestration made his music 'sound better than it was'). Vladimir Alexandrovich Dukelsky changed his name at the suggestion of his friend Jacob Gershovitz – better known as George Gershwin – to Vernon Duke. Duke received a rigorous classical education at the Conservatory in Kiev, was friends with Sergei Prokofiev, and composed ballet music for Sergei Diaghilev's Ballets Russes in Paris, as well as three symphonies. However, he is best remembered as the creator of hit shows such as "Cabin in the Sky" and as the composer of numerous songs that became jazz standards, including "April in Paris". Chloë Hanslip, Andrew Litton, and the Singapore Symphony Orchestra perform both concertos with brilliance, and Andrew Litton also takes on the role of the pianist in Bennett's "Hexapoda".