What I'm listening to: Yellowstone


Yellowstone for Violin and Orchestra
Composer: Jeff Hitt
Slovak Radio Symphony Orchestra, Kirk Trevor Conductor

My review from Amazon.com follows, and they have some free mp3s to sample the music, but I'd urge you to buy the CD through the Yellowstone Association, so that you can help support the wonderous place that inspired this music.

I'm not real fond of American composers. Or modern composers of any country, for that matter. Folk melodies are fine, as far as they go, but most American concert and chamber pieces don't tickle my ear. That's why this work astonishes and impresses me so much.

I walked into the Mammoth Hot Springs gift shop two years ago (yeah, I should have written this review earlier, but hey, I’m lazy) and immediately noticed the music they were playing. It was outstanding. I was about to ask one of the clerks what was playing when I noticed a cowboy sitting at a small table in the corner of the store. He had a pile of CDs next to him and a sign identifying him as the composer, Mr. Jett Hitt. He was very friendly, and after chatting a bit, he graciously inscribed our copy to our then-one-year-old son. We listened to the disk exclusively for the rest of our trip, and it has remained a favorite ever since.

I would contend that the music will satisfy the listener, even if he has never seen the wondrous National Park that inspired it. I have found, however, that the music is incredibly adept at summoning up images and remembrances of the Park, especially those places that inspired the movements (the composer was for many years a guide for horseback trips in the Park). It is my hope that this music, and its composer, will rise to the greater prominence that they deserve.