Life > October 11, 2007

By Lauren O’Keefe | Staff writer

One of the university’s very own professors and composer-in-residence, Dan Locklair has had some of his best music compiled by Naxos Records and put onto a CD that is part of the “American Classics” series.

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Professor of music Dan Locklair, the university's composer-in-residence, just released his international album, American Classics.

Naxos Records is the world’s leading classical music label and features a number of series of different classical music. Locklair joins an impressive company of composers in this series, such as John Adams, Samuel Barber, George Crumb and Joan Tower.

It is no surprise that Locklair’s music is being featured, as he is a renowned composer. One of his pieces, “Since Dawn,” was commissioned for the inauguration of Bill Clinton.

Five of Locklair’s pieces are included on the CD: “Symphony of Seasons,” “Lairs of Soundings,” “Phoenix and Again,” “In Memory-H.H.L.” and “Concerto for Harp and Orchestra.”

“Phoenix and Again” honors Wake Forest University on its 150th anniversary in 1983.

The pieces are performed by the Slovak Radio Symphony Orchestra, with Jacquelyn Barlett on the harp and Jeneanne Houston singing soprano. The conductor of the recording is Kirk Trevor.

The first piece, “Symphony of Seasons” immediately establishes why Locklair is such an accomplished composer. Each note holds emotion and greatly demonstrates the theme and meaning of the movement.

Each of the four movements in this piece represents a season, beginning with “autumn” and finishing with “summer.” While “winter” starts out quietly, “autumn” immediately begins with an enthusiastic brass and percussion section.

“Spring” features a beautiful lilting melody and “Summer” has a wonderful middle section that jumps out and contrasts the rest of the movement.

“Lairs of Soundings” features three astounding movements, with Houston singing soprano and a full string orchestra. The first and third movements are based on poems by Ursula K. Le Guin. In the first movement, entitled “Invocation” Houston sings notes with an incredible range and the music of the orchestra supports her beautiful singing.

The second movement entitled “Voicings” is much quieter and the soprano blends more with the orchestra. The notes drift into the listener’s ear and fill them with a sense of peace. The final movement, “Wordhoard,” features unbelievable sustained notes by Houston and an amazing melody.The next piece “Phoenix and Again” should be the favorite for university students as it is based on the alma mater. To hear the notes that make up our alma mater played in this tremendous piece is a marvelous experience.

Each note played truly resonates with the listener and the ending will astonish anyone who listens to it.

“In Memory-H.H.L.” is dedicated to Locklair’s mother, Hester Helms Locklair, who passed away in 2005. This piece is full of hope but is clearly one that is written in loving memory of someone who has passed away. The emotion involved in composing this piece is quite evident and extraordinary to hear.

The final piece “Concerto for Harp and Orchestra” features three spectacular movements and wraps up this compilation of music excellently.

The first movement, “Dialogues,” illustrates the magnificence of the harp and the wonderful relationship created between the orchestra and the harp. The second movement, “Variants,” features a wonderful harmony between the harp and the orchestra that is quiet and beautiful. The final movement, “Contrasts,” is a truly wonderful movement and a superb ending to the piece.

Locklair’s CD is reasonably priced at $11 and can be downloaded to an iPod from the Web site, www.classicalsonline.com.