The first compositions which Ned Rorem acknowledges appeared in 1943, when he was 19. Since then he has produced over 300 works in almost every known genre, from operas to symphonies, from concertos to string quartets, from choral music to piano and organ music – but most of all, art songs with piano accompaniment and song-cycles with orchestra. Rorem’s fame as one of the most prolific and admirably sustained of contemporary song composers has tended to obscure his achievements in other fields. The three chamber works on this album form a fascinating and revealing portrait of a composer at the height of his powers who both knows what he wants to say and, more importantly, how to say it. These are rare and genuine musical qualities, that Rorem continues to possess to a remarkable degree.