Stephen Albert’s music is at once traditional and contemporary, lyrical yet powerful and dynamic. He drew inspiration from the rich orchestral palettes of composers such as Stravinsky and Bartók, but his musical language is very much his own. At the time of his tragic and unexpected death in 1992, Albert had completed the first draft of his lush, evocative Symphony No. 2, which here receives its world première recording. Asked by Albert’s publishers to complete the work, his colleague and friend Sebastian Currier was pleased to find it almost finished, with only the addition of expressive markings and some orchestration to undertake. It is coupled here with Albert’s Pulitzer Prize-winning first symphony, RiverRun, one of many of his works inspired by the writings of James Joyce. As Currier writes in his booklet note,“Although one could endlessly wonder what his Third Symphony might be like, in the end it is great to have these two thoughtful, finely crafted and expressive pieces.”