Press

"The other music was Joseph Turrin's "Hemispheres," a new piece commissioned by the New York Philharmonic. "Hemispheres" is everything the other two items at this concert were not. Stripped of strings and fully loaded with winds, brass and percussion, Mr. Turrin's music is nervous, loud, swift and aggressive to the point of violence. It is also beautifully made, negotiating its constant changes of speed and pulse with grace. "Hemispheres" operates in a certain corner of the American mind. Its hard, shiny surfaces are unambiguous and ruminate little if at all. There is an edge of world weariness to Bartok's energies. Mr. Turrin's music is young: no past, only future."
Hemispheres / New York Philharmonic
NEW YORK TIMES (June 1, 2002)

"Finally, Masur conducted the world premiere of his last Philharmonic commission, Joseph Turrin's Hemispheres. This score comes with a great deal of extra musical imagery -- arcane geometric allusions, references to the earth's diverse cultures, a memento mori for September 11 -- but perhaps it is best heard as a brilliant étude for the Philharmonic's wind, brass, and percussion virtuosos, who responded eagerly to every instrumental challenge."
Hemispheres / New York Philharmonic
NEW YORK MAGAZINE (June 17, 2002)

"The second half of the program was given over to American composer Joseph Turrin's cantata And Crimson Roses Once Again Be Fair, a co-commission by Musica Viva NY, the New Orchestra of Washington, and the Washington Master Chorale. It's a magnificent work, drawing for its texts on the writings of the 'War Poets', some of them famous, some forgotten. While putting us in mind of the great choral masterpieces of Elgar, Howells, and Parry, as well as of Vaughan-Williams' Sea Symphony and - of course - of Britten's War Requiem, Mr. Turrin's epic cantata shows his own excellence in writing music - both moving and finely-crafted - for instruments and voices alike. And Crimson Roses Once Again Be Fair deserves a place of pride in the repertory of choral groups worldwide."
Oberon (November 12, 2018)

"Joe Turrin knows music in film - as an avid student of the subject, and as an exemplary practitioner. I know, when he did the score for one of my films, he added emotion and context that the movie would never have had without him."
Alan Alda, Actor, Director and writer

"I listened to The Scarecrow and it is really gorgeous. The libretto is concise and well-structured and your music follows the story's emotional landscape perfectly. Congratulations and many bravos on a splendid work!"
Mark Campbell, Librettist (August, 2020)

"I've found time to listen to and watch your extraordinary cantata. This a very moving work and succeeds on many levels. I wept when I wasn't angry. (I also love that you're not afraid of true melody and that you allow us to feel, don't force us to!) Bravo"
Librettist Mark Campbell

"Also included is Joseph Turrin’s poignant and moving Hymn for Diana, a tender, heart-wrenching elegy for the departed Princess of Wales. Though only six minutes in length, for me the work is the highlight of the disc."
Merlin Patterson, Fanfare Magazine (September/October 2010)

"Like all involved explanations, it doesn't mean anything as much as the music itself - in this case, a lively, colorful, sometimes fragmented three-movement piece that has enough thematic coherence to allow one to follow its logical path despite disruptions and digressions. It starts explosively, but makes way for pleasant passages of flickering flutes. The slow movement is clear-textured and nicely fragile; the finale races headlong and generates real tension. The piece invites a second hearing, and that says alot."
Hemispheres / New York Philharmonic
NEW YORK POST (June 1, 2002)

"The piece was effective, attractive and well-crafted. But if Masur and the orchestra visibly loved the piece, it's because Turrin knows how to make a band - especially this band - sound gleaming and limber."
Hemispheres / New York Philharmonic
NEWSDAY (June 3, 2002)

(Avery Fisher Hall: Kurt Masur's farewell to New York; his 75th birthday, and the end of the 25th season of "Live from Lincoln Center," on PBS. Hosted by Berverly Sills) " Really fine was the performance that followed, of Joseph Turrin 's "Fandango" for trumpet and trombone. This is a delightful Latin-jazzy thing, written for Philip Smith (principal trumpet) and Joseph Alessi (principal trombone). They played gorgeously, glowingly, without a hint of a blare - all virtuosity and limberness. If more trombonists made that instrument sound as Mr. Alessi does, perhaps we 'd have more music for trombone."
Fandango / New York Philharmonic
THE NEW YORK SUN (July 22, 2002)

"Kurt Masur is a reflective guy. During his first days in New York after he left Leipzig to take the helm of the New York Philharmonic eleven years ago, he couldn't sleep, so he'd get up early and walk the streets, noticing that "everyone felt a little bit lonely, a little bit lost." He realized that New Yorkers were a different kind of audience, and thought: "What can a concert do? It can unite people, in emotion, in spirit...you can give people a kind of healing power. The proof, he says, came just after September 11, when the orchestra gave an unforgettable performance of Brahms's German Requiem at its season premiere. As his tenure with the Philharmonic draws to a close and the maestro prepares to move on to Europe, he talks about the group with pride, and more as its partner than as its leader. For his 75th birthday and farewell concert, hosted and narrated by Beverly Sills, he chose works that showcase the orchestra's talent: double concerti by Brahms and Bach, and a big brassy piece by Joseph Turrin. "I wanted not to have any great soloists from the outside. I wanted to show that this is an orchestra full of remarkable soloists, " he says. "To play in an orchestra – that can be very frustrating for people who would be good enough to be international soloists." It's already sold out-though cancellation tickets may be available at the box office-but the performance will be broadcast on Live From Lincoln Center and WQXR."
Fandango / New York Philharmonic
NEW YORK MAGAZINE (July 22, 2002)

"Turrin has composed a refreshing work that creates in the listener the desire to hear it a second time. The concerto is a worthwhile addition to the limited trumpet/orchestra repertoire."
Concerto for Trumpet and Orchestra / New York Philharmonic
MUSICAL AMERICA (September, 1989)

"A sizzling soloist's vehicle. Mr. Turrin has given his soloist - Philip Smith, the orchestra's principal trumpeter - a great deal to do, usually at speeds and in detail that must require a lip of steel."
Concerto for Trumpet and Orchestra / New York Philharmonic
NEW YORK TIMES (March, 1989)

"That brass section closed the evening with a wildly swinging encore all to itself - Joseph Turrin's Jazzalogue No.1 - as Masur stood off to the side, looking every bit as impressed as the rest of us."
New York Philharmonic
SUN-SENTINEL (June 7, 1997)

"A lovely new score by Joseph Turrin (for the film Broken Blossoms)"
Los Angeles Times (February, 2001)

"This quartet of DVDs is highly recommended (for the films Broken Blossoms and Sadie Thompson)"
San Francisco Chronicle (February 25, 2001)

"Kino presents Broken Blossoms with a brand new Dolby Digital 2.0 score composed and performed by Joseph Turrin. The soundtrack consists almost entirely of music, with just a few non-intrusive sound effect cues. The orchestration occasionally betrays its synthesizer origins, but Turrin's score is well thought out and executed, with solid themes arranged and intertwined to support the film's action effectively and nearly transparently. Turrin's approach evokes the period without the self- consciously "old-timey" character of some silent film scores I've heard, and the digitally recorded score sounds just great, with comprehensive frequency range and clarity. "
Digitally Obsessed./ Dale Dobson (February, 2001)

"This is a silent film, so the only audio present is a stereo musical score. The music seems to suit the material very well and in this mix, comes off in fine form indeed. The man behind the score is Joseph Turrin, who I am told by the package of this disc created the new score just for this release, which is cool. I found the music to be crisp, consistent, and above all else, effective and appropriate for this material. Not much else to discuss here, but in the end, this is a nice musical score."
DVD Authority (February, 2001)

"A nearly pristine restored print and a moving new score by Joseph Turrin (for the film Broken Blossoms)"
Video Business (February 12, 2001)

"There just may be hope for modern music after all. There's a lot of bold color in this concerto. It' s a fine piece, though any trumpeter tackling it had better have inexhaustible breath."
Concerto for Trumpet and Orchestra / New York Philharmonic
NEW YORK DAILY NEWS (April, 1989)

"Mr.Turrin has written a vital work that is rhythmically and dynamically alive. There is no lack of ideas, which tumble one after the other yet seem capable of growth. The idiom is modern the piece thoroughly engaging and making deft use of the instruments."
Walden Trio for fl, cello and piano
NEW YORK TIMES (October 20, 1974)

"Mr.Turrin's intricate duets, with their echoes of Weill and Sondheim burst forth with unrestrained panache. All this makes Love Games far more tonic than most summer diversions and certainly something to see."
NEW YORK TIMES (July 20, 1980)

"With a musical score by Joseph Turrin, Sadie Thompson is a work that must be seen."
NY DAILY NEWS (March, 1987)

"Joseph Turrin's well - crafted Riffs and Fanfares for clarinet, horn, string trio, and piano, commissioned by the society and receiving its premiere"
Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center
NEW YORK TIMES (October 22, 1990)

"Joseph Turrin's Riffs and Fanfares a Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center commission, was given its world premiere. Turrin, who scored well last year with his Trumpet Concerto premiered by the NY Philharmonic, has again written an arresting work of spiky, individual energy"
NEW YORK DAILY NEWS (October 22, 1990)

"Full credit is due to Joseph Turrin for composing and conducting a continuous score running for 97 minutes."
Sadie Thompson
THE VILLAGE VOICE (New York) (March 24, 1987)

"Adding to the strength of this marvelous production is Joseph Turrin' s excellent musical direction and orchestrations."
Verna - USO Girl
THE HOLLYWOOD REPORTER (January 25, 1978)

"The two compositions of Joseph Turrin, who also conducted this recording, are most impressive. His exciting and different treatment of the march style in March is beautifully contrasted by the lyricism in Choral."
March and Choral
THE INSTRUMENTALIST (May 19, 1976)

"Composer Joseph Turrin provided a distinguished score with simple means. This sophisticated comedy has been turned into a sensitive, lovely, and lively work."
Love Games
PRINCETON SPECTRUM (July 2, 1980)

"Joseph Turrin's Aeolus is a fine virtuosic piece, lively with fresh ideas, fit companion for the Hindemith sonata it followed on the program. Ask your favorite chamber group to add it to the repertory."
Aeolus for Flute and Piano
THE RECORD (November 26, 1973)

"There is no guessing what new music will make a place for itself in the repertory, but I think Turrin's Walden Trio belongs in it somewhere."
THE RECORD (October 14, 1975)

"For me the high point was a new work Caprice, composed by Joseph Turrin. It was a virtuoso piece and performance. Mr. Turrin's music is as refreshing as a spring breeze."
Caprice for Trumpet and Piano
THE RECORD (April 2, 1973)

"One of the most impressive aspects of this restored version of Sadie Thompson is an excellent musical score written, arranged and conducted by Joseph Turrin. Few musicians have written feature - length scores for silent films in the last 60 years, but Turrin produced one that follows the film meticulously and is good listening besides."
THE OREGONIAN (April 16, 1987)

"The Concerto for Flute and Orchestra is a very fine work of its kind (fully as enjoyable as his Trumpet Concerto from two seasons ago)"
NEW YORK DAILY NEWS (January 17, 1992)

"This is a big, sophisticated concerto that evolves way beyond its classical and romantic models to show off the soloist's technique while exploring adventurous interactions between soloist and ensemble"
Concerto for Flute and Orchestra
THE RECORD (January 17, 1992)

"The final surprise, Hymn for Diana by Joseph Turrin, is a graceful elegy in a lightly melancholy style which i (according to the composer) intended to lift the listener' s spirit with its elegance and gentleness, and I believe it succeeds in this."
BRASS BAND WORLD MAGAZINE (1999) written by Vernon Briggs

"The most successful of the world premieres was Joseph Turrin' s Concerto for Flute and Orchestra. Of the three, it was only he who most clearly set a musical goal and reached it. The goal: Compose a virtuoso flute concerto for Carol Wincenc. The result: a brilliantly written and played showpiece with a wonderfully evocative slow movement. It should already be in demand by every reputable flutist."
THE STAR-LEDGER (January 17, 1992)

"Arcade is divided into five movements: Prelude, Bouree, Arioso, Waltz and Quadrille and featured flute, oboe, cello and viola. It was interesting music which gave all the performers a run for their money."
POST-COURIER, Charleston, S.C. (May 28, 1991)

"Adding to the overall effect here is a hauntingly powerful new score by Joseph Turrin - easily the best new silent film score since " Voices of Light" was added to " The Passion of Joan of Arc."
Diary of a Lost Girl (Film score)
Box Office Online Reviews (2003 - By Wade Major )

"This tinted DVD (which is 20 minutes longer than the original Image DVD) is beautiful to behold, features a first-rate Joseph Turrin score and adds a host of extras"
Intolerance (Film score)
Box Office Online Reviews (2003 - By Wade Major)