MICHAEL DAUGHERTY (b.1954): Fire and Blood for Violin and Orchestra, MotorCity Triptych for Orchestra, Raise the Roof for Timpani and Orchestra.

Description: All three of these works were commissions from the DSO while Daugherty was composer-in-residence and the first two get their first recordings. MotorCity Triptych (2000) is the oldest - a road trip through the sounds of Detroit (Motown, motor rhythms associated with the car industry, and a homage to Rosa Parks which features the trombone section, in imitation of the sonorous, bass-baritone voices of African-American preachers). From 2003, Fire and Blood's three movements, "Volcano", "River Rouge" and "Assembly Line" were inspired by Diego Rivera's murals which he painted in Detroit in 1933-34. Raise the Roof (2003) is a kind of concerto for timpani and band where the timpanist gets to play melodies in addition to much else. Ida Kavafian (violin), Brian Jones (timpani), Detroit Symphony Orchestra; Neeme Järvi.