Vincent Persichetti was one of America's most important composers and teachers of music in the Twentieth Century. His list of students ranges from Phillip Glass to Thelonius Monk to Peter Schickele. This week, our featured CD pays homage to Persichetti as pianist Geoffrey Burleson performs his complete Piano Sonatas.
Persichetti's name is probably most familiar to fans of wind band music, but the composer's piano music forms the bulk of his creative output. Along with the 12 sonatas recorded here, he composed a concerto, a concertino, and a variety of other pieces. And unlike many composers who restrict their mature output to heavier compositions, Persichetti wrote many pieces suitable for less mature performers, considering them too to have serious artistic merit.
Our quick pick this week is a collection of works by Baroque composer, Elisabeth-Claude Jacquet de La Guerre. Cecilia's Circle released this CD titled "They Hand Hast Done All This" in 2004, but you might have missed it on the first go round. De La Guerre's Violin Sonata in A major is combined with three solo cantatas, including the apocryphal cantata based on the book of Judith.