Review by Sonograma Mag. May 29, 2023

“The London Symphony Orchestra, conducted by Miran Vaupotić, and the Royal Scottish National Orchestra, conducted by David Watkin, have come together and combined experiences to perform this new album, the first volume of the Symphonic Chronicles (‘Chronicles symphonic’), with works by contemporary composers of a wide variety of styles according to origin and influences. A good example of this is Steve Law’s Piano Concerto, which is inspired by Gershwin, Rachmaninov and Prokofiev, and at the same time conveys influences from jazz, pop and minimalism. In this sense, the Australian pianist Joseph Havlat reinforces these thematic connections, of great lyricism, and accentuates the rhythmic intensity of the jazz elements.
Desert Storm, by Deborah Kavasch, a composer specializing in extended vocal techniques, is a martial work (heavy on brass and percussion) written to celebrate the American victory in the war’s Operation Desert Storm of the Persian Gulf.
John Wineglass composed #elijah for solo violin and orchestra, a piece to honor a young African-American violinist who died in a violent confrontation with police in 2019. Yumi Hwang’s violin solos- Williams unfold in the middle of intense percussion that dramatizes the two movements, entitled “Tragic Innocence” and “Transcendence”.
Fantasy on Jazz (‘Fantasia en jazz’), by the composer Barbara Jazwinski, is a tribute to the music of New Orleans and the clarinet, which unfolds very wide and free melodic solos.

The album ends with the “Interlude no. 3″ from the opera The Scars on his Back (‘The Scars on his Back’), by Simon Andrews, dedicated to the revolt that took place in Santa Fe in 1680 under the leadership of a legendary fighter named Po’ pay, who managed to bring down Spanish rule in New Mexico for twelve years. This interlude is notable for a large percussion section and complex textures for full orchestra.
The first volume of Symphonic Chronicles integrates all six compositions from a plural and organic perspective.”