Something Old and Something New -- that could easily be the subtitle for many of the compositions of Mark Zuckerman and especially this album of his music for strings. Zuckerman derives many of his formal structures from frameworks from the Baroque and Classical periods, notably the passacaglia, and sonata-allegro form. The "new" (and it's not really new anymore) is his use of atonal harmonies. Although only works on the album are tonal, listeners normally averse to the "a" word (atonal) should not be scared off. Zuckerman's works are still highly accessible; coupled with the detailed program notes, listeners are carefully guided through some very enjoyable musical metaphors. The Elegy for Victims of Terrorism, heard on this CD in both its string quartet and string orchestra versions, is quite moving and makes the album worthwhile on its own. The performances given by the Seattle Sinfonia and the
Momenta Quartet are generally strong. Sound quality is appealing in both instances and the ensembles are successful in guiding listeners through some of the more minimalistic components of the compositions. Intonation is sometimes a little off, which somehow seems all the more noticeable in atonal works, but is not sufficiently off-putting to detract from the musical content of the album.