“…the Utah Symphony and its music director, Thierry Fischer, presented Mr. Norman’s “Switch,” with Mr. Currie as the intrepid, energetic soloist. When the concerto began, the percussionist was nowhere in sight. A few minutes later, he bounded onstage from the auditorium and began his solo perambulations, moving rapidly yet gracefully across the Carnegie stage amid a profusion of instruments—about 45 in all.
Inspired by the dizzying pace of video games, this 28-minute work uses the percussionist as a “switch” who triggers music of different characters from other orchestral sections. As the fitful and episodic piece unfolds, snatches of melodic themes in the strings, woodwinds or brass are fired off but interrupted, disrupting linear flow like a filmmaker cutting to and from different time periods. The concerto, available on a Utah Symphony disc for Reference Recordings, ends as quietly as it begins, upending expectations. Both “Switch” and “Conjurer” are meaningful contributions to the percussion concerto repertoire.” —Barbara Jepson, The Wall Street Journal
Labels: Andrew Norman, Barbara Jepson, Colin Currie, DawnToDust, Review, Switch, The Wall Street Journal, Thierry Fischer, Utah Symphony