American composer Joan Tower (b.1938) has won three Grammy awards for a previous CD.
Her Violin Concerto, written in 1991, is a virtuoso showcase and lyrical vehicle for the prize-winning Taiwanese-American soloist who revels in the fiendishly difficult one-movement work that contains several cadenzas and orchestral sounds running the gamut from bold brass to jazzy themes and beautifully impressionist entries from shimmering percussion and strings.
The two other works (world premiere recordings) are boldly orchestral.
Stroke (2010) was inspired by a brother's paralysing illness and conveys a stroke victim's dramatic turmoil with emotional intensity while providing rays of hope.
Chamber Dance (2006) hops between huge blocks of sound and intimate solos and duets in a progressive riot of colours.
Highlight: Very impressive new music.
The composer's Piano Concertos No.1 (Op.15 in three movements) and No.2 (Op.83 in four) are each 50-plus minutes long, so dignified with their own discs.
Barenboim has been playing these works since 1958.
He made his first recordings of them with John Barbirolli and the new Philharmonia Orchestra in the 1960s.
Here both works are live from a 2014 concert, and he is delighted by conductor Gustavo Dudamel.
No.1 in D minor with three movements including a dashing Rondo and thoughtful Adagio is a youthful masterpiece, the composer's first performed orchestral work.
No.2 in B flat major has four movements, a Brahms mature work with features including unusual prominence for the cello in the third and a parade of themes in the closing section.
Highlight: Masterful performances.
