Music of John Duffy [1926-2015]

[Lance]

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I recently acquired a CD on the Koss Classics label (remember, they made popular headphones?). The music was by John Duffy, whom I certainly heard of but didn't know much about him. [I've appended the Wikipedia biography at the conclusion of this post.] This disc [KC 1022] features four works by Duffy including A Time for Remembrance: A Peace Cantata; Three Jewish Portraits; Symphony No. 1 ("Utah"); Freedom Overture.

Zdenek Marcal conducts the Milwaukee Symphony orchestra; James Earl Jones is the narrator, and Cynthia Clarey is the mezzo-soprano. Frankly, the reason I wanted this recording was because of Cynthia Clarey, who made her home in the Binghamton, New York area (now living in the Chicago area) having enjoyed an illustrious career in opera and recital and on discs. I was, of course, inspired to hear the beautiful meaning of this music and its texts, which were close to the heart of John Duffy. And what of James Earl Jones? An incredibly wonderful actor. So, two great names in the world of music and acting melded together in this memorable music. Just looking at the titles of these compositions of the over 300 Mr. Duffy has composed gives you some idea of where Duffy's musical heart could be found. ♫

Information on composer John Duffy:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Duffy_(composer)
and
http://www.dailypress.com/news/dp-nws-d ... story.html