Now Your Colors Sing

“Gerald Levinson’s world is very much his own, a world of superb orchestral brilliance, vivid gesture, strong, pliable rhythm and long-reaching form... One might feel even that he has not invented but discovered the finest of his works, as relics of an ancient civilization might be unexpectedly discovered in some jungle.” (Paul Griffiths) Now hear Levinson’s music for yourself with Innova’s sweeping new retrospective – Now Your Colors Sing – that spans over 40 years of his output, from small to large. The centerpiece is Anāhata (Symphony No. 1), in a brilliant concert performance by the American Composers Orchestra, conducted by Hugh Wolff, who had commissioned the work. This exuberant, colorful work for large orchestra with expanded metal percussion is infused with influences from North Indian ragas, Balinese gamelan, and a sense of drama from the Western tradition. The Sanskrit title refers to “unstruck” sounds, symbolizing an entry into a deeper state of awareness of the cosmos. Wolff also conducts another major symphonic work on this recording: Avatar, commissioned for Christoph Eschenbach’s inauguration as Music Director of the Philadelphia Orchestra. The title suggests again the potential for music to embody transcendent energies. These works are complemented by three other large-scale compositions: Now Your Colors Sing for double string orchestra – whose title (citing a remark to Chagall by his former teacher) sums up one of Levinson’s defining musical characteristics; At the Still Point of the Turning World, There the Dance Is for a somewhat jazz-like ensemble of low reeds and strings with guitar and percussion; and Au Coeur de l’infini for organ, recorded on the great organ of Notre Dame Cathedral, Paris — currently undergoing major restoration after the 2019 fire — for which it was conceived, by its celebrated organist, Olivier Latry.