MARBECKS COLLECTABLE: Fanfares for the Uncommon Woman

The title of this extraordinary collection of orchestral gems suggests both parody of and homage to Aaron Copland's Fanfare for the Common Man. But Joan Tower, as always, has her own artistic vision and nothing here is either a parody of or homage to anyone. There are five Fanfares and a tasty Duet for Orchestra. The main work here is a Concerto for Orchestra (1991), a dazzling exhibition of energetic exchanges between various orchestral groups that seems designed, like Paul Hindemith's Concerto for Orchestra (but not Bartók's), for smaller forces. This way the instrumental pairings stand out. But give credit here to Marin Alsop, the conductor, and the Colorado Symphony Orchestra for making these works both lucid and vibrant. This disc clearly belongs in any collection of late-20th-century music. --Paul Cook