'Strikingly beautiful...glorious and affecting main theme led by a solo violin soaring ever higher in even more luxuriant waves. The whirling energy [of Movement 4] conveys the anticipation and excitement of arrival in America...Lankester draws committed and sumptuous playing from the Bulgarian orchestra' GRAMOPHONE, SEPTEMBER 2005 'A moving and emotional world premiere...The symphony is written in a very direct style...which makes it all the more affecting and emotional in effect. The performance and sound could not be faulted. Let's hope some American orchestras put Mr. Hurwit's affecting symphony on their concert programs; I'm sure it would well-accepted.' AUDIOPHILE AUDITION, SEPTEMBER 2005 'A luminous score...'Remembrance' strikes universal chord...Hurwit shows considerable skill transforming his themes and using them cyclically to unify a large scale work' ATLANTA AUDIO SOCIETY, JUNE 2005 THE STORY OF SYMPHONY No. 1 'REMEMBRANCE' The composer's family history, as reflected in the Movement titles, has been the inspiration of Symphony No. 1. This symphony is a remembrance to all who have paved the road to freedom. For centuries, the persecution of various ethnic groups has forced younger generations to separate from their elders and seek safety and freedom in foreign lands. Despite differences in historical circumstances, the tragedies and triumphs of the experience are essentially the same. It is the story of untold numbers of families. It is the story of this symphony. BIOGRAPHY OF THE COMPOSER In 1997, Albert Hurwit's five-minute Adagio for Orchestra was premiered by the Hartford Symphony Orchestra under the direction of Michael Lankester. The audience's enthusiastic response, as well as positive comments from many area professionals, encouraged Hurwit to expand the piece into a full symphony. In 2000, after Lankester heard a draft of the first movement of the symphony, he offered to serve as Hurwit's mentor. Two years later, the full length Symphony was completed. In 2003, the Hartford Symphony Orchestra, conducted by Edward Cumming, premiered the new work's Third Movement, 'Remembrance'. Symphony No.1 is Hurwit's first recorded work. Albert Hurwit was born in Hartford, Connecticut in 1931. He is a graduate of Harvard College and Tufts Medical School. He retired from his medical practice in 1986 in order to dedicate his energies to composition.