Reviews of Recordings
Songs and Structures / Bridge
“brilliantly crafted yet elusive music that seems at once playful, dangerous, waltzing and jumpy”
— Anthony Tommasini, The 25 Best Classical Music Tracks of 2018, The New York Times
“newly ageless”
— Joseph Newsome, Voix des Arts, October 19, 2018
“This is genius, the ability to mix all these string techniques into a coherent whole.”
— Allan J. Cronin, NewMusicBuff.com
“another triumph for Meltzer.”
— Opera News
Variations on a Summer Day • Piano Quartet / Open G
“enchanting and unpredictable”
— Joshua Kosman, San Francisco Chronicle
“thrives on ample invention and an astute sense of color”
—Allan Kozinn, The Wall Street Journal
“a composer fully in charge of his powers, and in his prime”
—Robert Carl, Fanfare
“summoning up sounds from his ensemble that seem nearly impossible”
—Sydney Boyd, American Record Guide
“novelty and nostalgia interact in a mesmerizingly intricate ballet”
—Joseph Newsome, Voix des Arts
“truly special notefull-orchestrational tone paintings”
—Grego Applegate Edward, Gapplegate Classical-Modern Music Review
Brion • Sindbad • Exiles / Naxos Reviews
“splendid collection of chamber and vocal works”
— Joshua Kosman, The San Francisco Chronicle
“splendid recording of four fascinating chamber and vocal works”
— Anthony Tommasini, The New York Times
“moments of surpassing beauty, moments when one is driven to stop and consider”
— Ira Byelick, American Record Guide
“pieces of scrupulous craft and exceptional freshness, which makes each seems like an important contribution”
— Robert Carl, Fanfare
“very personal blend of immediate lucidness and sonic creativity that produces an extremely compelling result”
— Carson Cooman, Fanfare
“deeply haunting in its introspection”
— Frank J. Oteri, NewMusicBox
“a very strong outing that begs for a sequel”
— Christian Carey, sequenza21
“very engaging, well crafted, inspired”
— Grego Applegate Edwards, Gapplegate Music Review
“always sonically fresh, timbrally seductive”
— Robert Carl, Fanfare
Toccatas / Sono Luminus
“effortless navigate the genre with a non-formulaic outlook and fresh harmonic
invention at all times”
— Jed Distler, Classics Today
Virginal / Albany
“a Stravinskian neoclassicism for the age of Bang on a Can”
— Ian Quinn, American Record Guide
“alluring, imaginatively scored”
— Anthony Tommasini, The New York Times
“it’s hard to decide whether his music or his ensemble deserves greater commendation”
— Ken Smith, Gramophone
“well on its way to becoming a new-music repertoire staple”
— Time Out New York