During his 45 years as a scientist Dr. Hilary Koprowski made significant research contributions in the field of viral diseases, cancer, and rabies. However, he always wanted to pursue a musical career, and began to study musical composition in 1995. At first he patterned his compositions after Brahms, Fauré, and other romantic masters, graduating to the 20th century in good time. To his credit, Koprowski manages not to sound like his role models in the various songs and short chamber works that make up this disc. A piano mazurka composed in homage to Chopin, for example, recalls Symanowski in one of his wistful moods. Two short mood pieces for flute and piano, on the other hand, swing between Krenek's stark, acid-tinged style and Mompou's sweet tunefulness. Koprowski's song settings encompass several languages, and reveal an inborn knack for effective word setting. The most striking of these is "De Profundis". It commences with a lengthy vocalise from which the words sneak out at an unexpected yet inevitable moment. The songs exploit mezzo-soprano Kimball Wheeler's ample timbre and astonishing three-octave range, although her middle-register intonation is rather iffy at times. I'm sure Koprowski would be the first to admit that he's still finding his way and honing his craft. Most of his work (at least what's on the disc) proceeds in a medium-tempo comfort zone. Textures tend to get stuck in the mud, and there's not much variety in registral deployment among instruments. When it comes to transitions and modulations, the seams really show. As a result, medium length efforts (like an eight-minute fantasia on "Hava Nagila" ) seem longer than they actually are. Still, Koprowski is a composer with something to say, but it's best to hear him one or two pieces at a time rather than taking in the entire CD at one sitting. Why aren't all the musicians credited, notably the hard-working pianist who appears on the majority of selections?

--Jed Distler