First performance:
Da Capo Chamber Players, Andre Solomon-Glover, baritone, Louis Karchin, conductor
Christ and St. Stephen’s Episcopal Church, NYC, Jan. 28, 1999
Awarded the Heckscher Foundation Prize
Reviews
The highlight of the evening came at the conclusion: American Visions, the setting of two poems by the well-known Russian poet Yevgeny Yevtushenko for chamber ensemble with baritone (Dominic Inferrera), led admirably by Karchin. Yevtushenko creates an immediate visceral, graphic poetry that is almost music itself. Naturally, if one chooses to set these poems, it is important to punctuate and amplify the poetry…. It´s a tough assignment, but Lou handles it perfectly, echoing, in instrumental colors, the multi-colored poetic text.
“Yevtushenko was present at the concert and reception and read a birthday tribute to Lou.
“American Visions [is] an immense musical fresco…. Mr. Karchin likes to explore wide harmonic worlds, but with precision and determination.”
(referring to a 50th birthday concert for the composer on Sept. 24, 2002