Minnesota Star Tribune reviews two US premieres

These concerts feature two new pieces by Geoffrey Gordon, a composer who divides his time between the U.S. and England, but was present for these premieres. His “Gotham News” is inspired by a Willem de Kooning painting and it captured the restless character of that abstract expressionist’s art. It’s a work for strings of dark intensity, full of aggressive bowing, high cries and such haunting effects as making the instruments sound like the howling wheels of a subway train.

Composer Gordon showed himself to be as articulate in conveying calm as he was agitation with the U.S. premiere of “Fumée,” a showcase for the SPCO’s principal clarinetist Sang Yoon Kim and for Gordon’s way with a musical meditation. While “Gotham News” seemed in a hurry to get somewhere, “Fumée” was more of a quiet respite, and a very involving one.

And the SPCO has a lot to be joyful about, for how rewarding it must be to play such magnificent music so brilliantly.