ELDON RATHBURN (b.1916): Ottawa Suite for Ensemble, Harbour Nocturne for Winds, Brass and Percussion, Andante for Ensemble, Fanfare for Brass Quintet, For String Quartet: Scherzo Humouresque, Scottish Melody, Reverie on a Theme of Beethoven, The Green Shores of Fogo, Subway Thoughts, Concertino for Banjo and String Quartet, A Farewell to Lou for Clarinet and String Quartet, 2 Pieces for Celesta and String Quartet.

Description: You'll have loads of fun with this disc, whatever your usual musical predilections, that's almost guaranteed. Rathburn blends all manner of popular themes, musical styles and allusions to and quotations from classical and romantic models so seamlessly and entertainingly that it's hard to imagine anyone not reacting positively to its instant appeal. The extended Ottawa Suite contains the most obvious satirical elements (snoozing senators! kazoos! relentlessly overlapping quotations!), but it's all so beautifully crafted and done with such obvious affection that it never becomes silly or superficial, taking its place rather among the distinguished tradition of musical humor from Mozart to Shostakovich. Several early works, pastoral but already displaying the composer's gift for directly appealing, succinctly expressive forms, are included. A heartfelt elegy for a colleague and some beautifully atmospheric occasional pieces, again evoking specific places central to the composer's life (the Harbour Nocturne is especially lovely), but with deeply felt affection rather than the comic overtones of the Ottawa Suite, round out this most satisfying disc. Chamber Players of Canada