Paul Moravec’s ‘Tempest’ Fantasy based on ‘white-hot fury’ of Patrick Stewart performance…it all started when Patrick Stewart tired of life in outer space and came back to earth. In 1995 Stewart played Prospero in Shakespeare’s “Tempest” in New York’s Public Theater. He played the role, a critic noted, “with white hot fury.” Composer Paul Morovec, in the audience, found Stewart “extraordinary” and went home and began the work that brought him the Pulitzer in 2004: “Tempest Fantasy.” The completed score was dedicated to the Trio Solisti, who—with the help of clarinetist David Krakauer—recorded it for Naxos.

This re-release of Arabesque’s recording of Paul moravec’s chamber works for piano trio and clarinet is just fantastic. The Tempest Fantasy (for the same lineup as the Messiaen Quartet for the End of Time but it couldn’t sound more different) won the Pulitzer Prize for music and deservedly so. It is one of the most engaging, ebullient and thoroughly interesting modern works I have heard in a long time. It is dedicated to the players on the disc…They are astoundingly good and play with verve and flair. This is a CD that proves new music can be smart, funny, moving, popular and original. If you don’t like new music, then buy this disc and be surprised.