Amazon.com Hold onto your hats--this one's a real showstopper. Libby Larsen is one of a handful of American composers working entirely outside the mainstream (i.e., the Minimalist vein), and she is doing so quite successfully. Her works are characterized by their intelligence and their accessibility. Larsen tends to work on smaller canvases, and her String Symphony (1998) here is a good example. It's a robust, somewhat acerbic work that is reminiscent of (but not derivative from) Ned Rorem's 1985 String Symphony. The two collections of songs on the disc have the same bitter sweetness as the String Symphony, but they are more melodically enhanced by Larsen's distinct lyricism. Songs of Light and Love are based on the poems of May Sarton. Songs from Letters (1999) are from the letters of Calamity Jane to her daughter, Janey. Soprano Benita Valente simply dazzles here. This is an excellent introduction to a fine composer. --Paul Cook