Eiji Oue - Dominick Argento: Valentino Dances

Minnesota Orchestra/Eiji Oue, conductor/Chad Shelton, tenor, Argento: "Valentino Dances", "Reverie", "Reflections on a Hymn Tune", "Valse Triste", "Le Tombeau d'Edgar Poe", "A Ring of Time". Dominick Argento is not only America's pre-eminent opera composer, but a creator of vocal, choral and orchestral music that places him in the top rank of living composers. This significant new release presents WORLD PREMIER recordings of five important Argento works, all closely associated with the Minnesota Orchestra. "Valentino Dances" is an infectious suite from the opera "The Dream of Valentino", with a virtuoso solo played by "Mr. Accordion" himself, William Schimmel of The Tango Project. This flamboyant Roaring Twenties music has "FM hit" written all over it. These melodically sweeping, romantic scores are captured in all their vivid colors in "Prof." Keith Johnson's dynamic HDCD recording.