REVIEWS OF MUSIC FEATURED ON RECORDING: TROY 635

CLASSICS TODAY.COM “Here’s a disc that deserves wide circulation.”

Symphony No. 1 (On its premiere in Antwerp, Belgium, May 15, 1965)
LA METROPOLE: “Full of humor and drive, the work gave proof of a solid craftsmanship.”
DE NIEUWE GAZETTE: “---he speaks a fresh, modern language with a remarkable balance of
reason and feeling.” “---without a doubt a masterful piece of work.
VOLKS GAZETTE: “---the indisputable high point of the concert.”
GAZETTE VAN ANTWERPEN: “---a cunning that reveals technical mastery.
We are in contact with a talented composer whose reputation is sure to grow.”
CLASSICS TODAY.COM “---quite marvelous.” “---a recognizably “American” musical language full of zesty syncopations and bouncing rhythms.”
THE GRAMOPHONE: “---moody---artful---perky---attractive---”


Symphony No. 2
CLASSICS TODAY.COM: “---innate charm and melodic appeal---”. Its opening idea, a winding melody for flute, is quite haunting and Biggs uses it very skillfully to bind together the work’s episodic structure.”
THE GRAMOPHONE: “---the work is suffused with a serene lyricism---.” “---an attractive and well-crafted work that deserves to be more widely known.”


The Ballad of William Sycamore
LOS ANGELES TIMES: “---solid, accessable, emotionally resonant---”.
VENTURA COUNTY STAR: “--stylish suggestion of vast spaces and ingrained strength proved compelling.”
BORIS BROTT, conductor, New West Symphony [letter to the composer]
“I thank you from the bottom of my heart for producing a work of such colour, imagination, immediate
accessibility and yet invention and novelty for the opening of the New West Symphony’s first season.”
CLASSICS TODAY.COM: “---Jonathan Dunn-Rankin reads the poem with tremendous character and infectious enthusiasm, while Biggs smartly alternates recitation with long passages of independent music so that the result is very enjoyable.”
THE GRAMOPHONE: “---the bumptious spirit is likeable---and the final stanzas are affectingly set.”

Back to Discography