TNC 1456 Sacred Monuments: Symphony No. 1 (1985; 1997-99) Cleveland Chamber Symphony, Virko Baley, Conductor Sacred Monuments: Symphony No. 1 Conductor/composer Virko Baley was born in Ukraine in 1938 but has spent his creative life in the United States. He infuses his music with themes of contemporary and traditional motifs. Bernard Holland, reviewing a concert of Baley’s music in The New York Times said he "uses piano sonority in sophisticated yet highly dramatic ways. In its center...delicate aphorisms each with its own flavor." And in response to his conducting, the Cleveland Plain Dealer proclaimed that "The orchestra played as if hypnotized."

Cambria CD 1077 Jurassic Bird Chamber Music of Virko Baley, Vol. 1 Nocturnal No. 5 Partita No. 1 for 3 Trombones and 3 Pianos Sculptured Birds Nocturnal No. 6 William Powell, Miles Anderson, Laura Spitzer, Elissa Stutz, Virko Baley 'Baley's own Sculptured Birds -- the first movement, The Jurassic Bird, composed in 1979; Eagle, Bird in Glide, and The Chinese Nightingale added in 1984, for Mr. Powell -- struck deeply. The imagery was keen, the musical thought original.' --- Andrew Porter, The New Yorker

Cambria CD 1077 Orpheus Singing Chamber Music of Virko Baley, Vol. 2 Concerto No. 1 quasi una fantasia Dreamtime Suite No. 1 Orpheus Singing for Oboe and String Quartet Duo Concertante - 3 paraphrases for violoncello and piano Continuum; New Juilliard Ensemble, Joel Sachs, conductor 'My most vivid memory of the afternoon, however, is Virko Baley's Violin Concerto No. 1, quasi una fantasia. Conceived as a requiem, the concerto squeezes the elements of the mass into sonata-allegro form, with the Lacrymosa as the exposition, Dies Irae as the development and the Lux aeterna as the recapitulation. The fourth movement stands apart as a festive wake, quoting folk figures with abandon and giving precussion free reign. Baley's music has been described as 'multilingual with a Slavic accent', and I can do no better. Somewhat reminiscent of the mystic minimalism of Gorecki and Part, the concerto takes almost cliched near-quotes from Kreisler and Paganini and turns them into an effectively haunting texture.' --- Ken Smith, The Strad

Cambria CD 1077 Dreamtime Chamber Music of Virko Baley, Vol. 3 PART I: Palm of the Hand Part II: Dreamtime California E.A.R. Unit, Rand Steiger, conductor 'This is a very evocative work that kept me quite enthralled for its incredible length...I recommend it to your attention; I suspect contemporary music of heading in the direction of this kind of all encompassing work. Baley does it with flair.' --- David Moore, American Record Guide

Kiev Camerata, Vol. 2 Virko Baley, conductor & pianist 'This is a very evocative work that kept me quite enthralled for its incredible length...I recommend it to your attention; I suspect contemporary music 'This was the second series of concerts in Russia for Virko Baley, the multi talented American composer, conductor, pianist and critic... The featured form of both concerts was the symphony - Mahler's First and Bruckner's Ninth - each emerging as broad monumental canvases full of contrasts and grandeur. Baley is a true master of the large form. He convincingly shapes large segments of a work and then unites them to create an almost tangible architectural sense of the music. Especially memorable was the Mahler finale, a stumbling block for many conductors. In Virko Baley's interpretation, it was captivating in its directness and the logic of its musical expression... Most striking is his magnetism, the romantic inspired interpretation, which leaves neither the audience nor the orchestra players feeling indifferent.' --- Svetlana Savenko , Soviet Music Journal, (Moscow, Russia) 'CONDUCTOR COAXES FLAIR FROM PHILHARMONIC. In speed skating, a squandered fraction of a second can spell the difference between an Olympic medal and a disappointing flight back home...It all comes down to nuance of expression...Las night, under the baton of guest conductor Virko Baley, the Lexington Philharmonic's members finally mastered the nuance that allowed them to sustain a full evening of musical olympics...Baley's control conjured brilliant fortes with the intimacy of a chamber work and hauntingly soft dynamics that never sounded tenuous.' --- Ron Pen, Lexingont Herald Ledger, (Kentucky) '[Virko Baley] brought theatrical impetuosity to his conducting, and the large ensemble responded with crisp, controlled artistry' --- Donald Rosenberg, The Plain Dealer, (Cleveland) '...a terrific virtuoso, Virko Baley' --- Mark Swed, Los Angelos Herald Examiner 'Gemlike performances...A deeply resourceful pianist, the Ukrainian born musician applies the full range of keyboard colors. His readings are thoughtful, pertinent and fluent. They never lack for conviction or a sense of communication.' --- Daniel Cariaga, Los Angeles Times

TNC 1508 Treny Natalia Khoma, cello; Suren Bagratuni, cello; Olga Pasichnyk, soprano. Treny ("Laments") is part of a trilogy of works by the Ukrainian-American composer Virko Baley that deal with the ultimate questions: questions of mortality, death, grief, and the legacy we leave behind. Unlike the large chamber work, "Dreamtime," or the even larger chamber work "Symphony #1: Sacred Monuments," "Treny" is economically scored for two cellos and (in the end) soprano, and was inspired by the grief-wracked Renaissance poetry of Jan Kochanowski. Writing at a time of personal loss, and working with purposely restrained forces, Baley offers some of his most deeply felt, ingeniously developed music. Haunted by ghosts, suspended in a musical and emotional twilight, "Treny" is a masterful example of music's power to express what words cannot. - John Schaefer

Russian Disc Artyomov - Baley - Silvestrov - Ives Virko Baley, conductor Vyacheslav Artyomov: Concert of the 13 for 13 Wind, Piano and Percussion Virko Baley: Violin Concerto No. 1 (Quasi una fantasia) Valentin Silvestrov: Postludium for Piano and Orchestra Charles Ives: The Fourth of July

Titanic CD-Ti199 20th-Century Concert Etudes for Solo Violin Eugene Gratovich, violin George Flynn: Fantasy Etudes Virko Baley: ...Figments... Ralph Shapey: Four Etudes Allan Blank: Toccatina & Mixtures Baley: "...figments" Nos. 1 (Sonant), 2 (Chorale-Parastas) and 3 (Perpetuo Mobile)