WETA interviews P-CE's Angel Gil-Ordonez

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NEA Continues Support of Post-Classical Ensemble

Washington Post Lauds 'The City' DVD

Washington Post critic Anne Midgette says:

The Post-Classical Ensemble has given this Copland score its first modern recording (conducted by Angel Gil-Ordóñez) and issued it on a bountiful DVD that includes a version of the film with the original soundtrack, a discussion between Joseph Horowitz and the filmmaker George Stoney, and a documentary about Greenbelt... The crisp new recording sounds great... a worthwhile recording that deserves watching more than once...

Society of Spain Tracks P-CE

Washington Times lauds PCE's The City

American Record Guide Praises 'The City' DVD

In its May/June 2009 issue, American Record Guide offers this praise:

... The main interest for most ARG readers is probably going to be the new recording of Copland’s complete score for the film by Gil- Ordonez and his committed band of players. Rarely has music been more closely interwoven with cinematography, even in straight dramas, let alone a documentary. Excerpts from the score have been recorded, but they’re less interesting and evocative when separated from the visual element. So praise to executive producer Joseph Horowitz and Naxos for giving us the opportunity to experience the score in its intended setting—and in modern sound (Dolby and DTS Surround)...

Washington Post: P-CE's real, solid picture of John Adams

The Washington Post's Anne Midgette writes:

"Encounters: A John Adams Snapshot," a concert presented by the Post-Classical Ensemble at the Harman Center's Lansburgh Theatre on Wednesday night, wasn't really a snapshot at all. For one thing, it offered two images of the composer, taken at different times: the piano solo "Phrygian Gates," from 1977, and "Gnarly Buttons," for clarinet and chamber ensemble, written 19 years later.

Both of these are seminal Adams works. Their juxtaposition offered a thoughtful, intense look at the composer. Brief, yes. It even left you wanting more. But despite the agreeable informality of its presentation, it still had features of a more carefully thought-out image.

Informality is a good thing for Adams...

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Fanfare Magazine Lauds 'The City' DVD

Fanfare's Lynn René Bayley says:

This DVD gives us two complete versions of the film, one with the original soundtrack conducted by Max Goberman and narration by Morris Carnovsky, the second with an all-new soundtrack by the Post-Classical Ensemble conducted by Gil-Ordóñez with narration by Francis Guinan. Gil-Ordóñez is the better conductor, and, of course, the modern digital sound does wonders for the music...

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Joseph Horowitz Blitzes Philly about Artists in Exile

Film Threat Reviews Post-Classical Ensemble's 'The City'

Rumbo: Post-Classical Ensemble's 'The City'

Prince George Gazette: Post-Classical Ensemble's DVD 'The City' To Be Featured

Pop Matters: The City Is Most-Watched Documentary

La Vanguardia Reviews Post-Classical Ensemble at Kennedy Center

Washington Post: Post-Classical Ensemble's 'Beautiful Display' at Kennedy Center

Chicago Tribune Notes PCE's The City

The Chicago Tribune says:

... The film’s true worth lies in its seamless integration of music, cinematography and narration, newly recorded by Chicago actor Francis Guinan. Copland’s score, reflecting both his homespun manner and a harder-edged proto-minimalism, is recorded for the first time in its entirety by the Post-Classical Ensemble under Angel Gil-Ordonez.

This refurbished artifact from an earlier recession era amounts to a valuable and splendidly produced release...

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Renaissance Research: P-CE Complements

Baltimore Sun: The City Shines Again on DVD

The Baltimore Sun reviewed "The City, calling it "a fresh look."

The Sun noted:

This Great Depression-era product has now re-emerged on DVD by Naxos, with Post-Classical's freshly recorded soundtrack, just as the country is in the grip of the Great Recession and the air is full of talk about government projects, large-scale and green. Seems like great timing...

That score, here conducted by the ensemble's music director, Angel Gil-Ordonez, with his usual care and expressiveness, comes through as vibrantly as the camerawork. This is particularly true in the brilliant urban scenes. It sounds as if Copland had more fun composing music for those city shots; that's where the music really jumps out at you.

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YouTube.com: Joe Horowitz Discusses The City

La Republica Cultural: The City

Toronto Star: The City