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"The music is always deeply moving but by no means predictable. For instance, a poem called 'Smoke of Jewish Children' is set to eerily understated rather than angry or dramatic music."
Dallas Morning News/January 1999
"Sad and ironic, still there plays the undercurrent of hope, as in 'Passover in Treblinka,' in which prisoners of the camp at Treblinka prepare for Seder. In 'Kaddish,' survivors remember those who are no longer with us. 'Roichen' (Smoke) spirals eerily as children, along with their toys, leave the earth as wisps of smoke...[an] emotionally difficult set..."
National Association of Teachers of Singing, Journal of Singing/June 1999
"strikingly beautiful...[its] ambiguity is heightened by the music ('Shifreles Portret'). 'Kaddish' is direct and bleak."
Dallas Morning News/April 2003
" ...emotionally far-flung, beautiful...its music weds perfectly to texts, ranging from a dreamy, legato-filled nocturne to an intensely personal dirge for fallen soldiers to a love poem flecked with shy, shivery little horn figures. It's a splendid work..."
San Antonio Express-News/January 2002
"The horn is an integral melodic counterpoint to both the voice and the piano. Sometimes serving as percussion or emphasis, it also carries its own melodic material as if it were another voice... In 'Dirge for Two Veterans,' horn and piano set the stage for a scene after battle. This opening could easily be music for the documentary 'The Civil War,' so clearly does it capture the mood. The fluttery, yet darkly moody accompaniment of 'O You Whom I Often' touches on the homoerotic elements of Whitman's poetry. It is decidedly unplayful and not the least bit flirtatious..."
National Association of Teachers of Singing, Journal of Singing/June 1999
"Sargon's compositions, and these songs are no exception, invariably contain strong images for the listener and would be categorized as 'neo-romantic' in style. The songs are powerfully portrayed, spanning a lifetime and beyond of human hopes and fears... I am not aware of any finer set of songs for this combination."
The Horn Call/February 1997
"...music that is at times beautiful, at times dramatic, and always faithfully reflective of the poetic text...The mood is generally pensive...and the addition of the horn gives an unusual dimension to the songs."
Dallas Morning News/January 1999
" ...a lovely work for violin and piano...a gem of a piece, plaintive and passionate by turns; it was the perfect way to open another season of Music of Remembrance- a series devoted to honoring Holocaust musicians and their work."
The Seattle Times/November 2008
"By far the most successful crossover work of the evening was Simon Sargon's chamber ensemble arrangement of his seductive Blue Mountain Ballads, a setting of poems by Tennessee Williams. Here was an ideal example of what creative use a serious man of music can make of jazz and blues idioms."
Dallas Morning News/November 1988
"'Deep Ellum Nights' by Simon Sargon are exactly what they claim to be: three sketches. They evoke the mood of a certain section of the city of Dallas in the first half of the 20th century- its local analog of the Bourbon street area in New Orleans. The names of the parts fairly describe the character of each. 'Dark and Smoky' starts as a relaxed, almost improvisatory, blues, which is interrupted by a sharp-edged, bumpy episode, and is gradually restored. The jazzy abilities of the clarinet are put to good use here- but are still better in the second sketch, 'Quiet and Easy.' This one has some Gershwin flair, in its steady piano pulse and sliding harmonies. It reaches an impressive climax and then calms away...The music is light and careless, and the two instruments are like two dance partners who know their steps so well that they dare to improvise."
MusicWeb International, September 2010
"A star item [on Cohler on Clarinet] is 'Deep Ellum Nights: Three Sketches' by Simon Sargon. This is a major addition to the clarinet repertoire by an American composer, inspired by a section of downtown Dallas, Texas where consecutive waves of different ethnic groups have lived..it accordingly admits diverse musical influences. It is this major work...which distinguished this disc and lifts it to that of a special disc well worth seeking out."
New CD Guide/September 1993
"The treat here [on Cohler on Clarinet] is 'Deep Ellum Nights'... It is worth the price of the disc. About 12 minutes of music with a jazz flavor, these three morsels are terrific- and technically demanding. I will play this record again and again. The last piece ends with a glissando up to a high C above high C, the highest note on the clarinet. Nice!"
American Record Guide/September 1993
"This evocative three-movement suite, recalling migrant life in the ethnic melting pot of a decaying Dallas suburb earlier this century, is skilfully crafted... "
BBC Music Magazine/October 1993
"The three movements are built around blues, jazz styles and ragtime. A wonderful piece..."
Windplayer Magazine/February 1994
"...exuberant...sultry melodic lines are interrupted by all kinds of jazzy glissandos and uninhibited syncopations, notably an explosive burst of energy intruding into the 'Quiet and easy' central section. The finale is like a flashy cakewalk. "
The Penguin Guide to Compact Discs 1994
"This makes an excellent companion piece, with some flavour of the 1920's, even though it was written many decades later-- especially in the witty and parodic moments in the first movement. The second and third movements are more profound: reflective and dramatic by turns."
British Association of Symphonic Bands and Wind Ensembles, Wind Magazine/2003
"What a marvelous, tuneful, appealing piece this is! ...Sargon's is a name to be reckoned with among those in the know, and he has even been the subject of one of Karl Haas's radio programs. I can see why. This work is tinged with jazz elements-- though with discretion and taste-- yet sounds like American music should: vigorous, wide open, and optimistic, even in the face of tragedy. The piano writing is linear rather than chordal, and the orchestra contributes some lovely solo playing. Certainly this is a composer worth paying attention to. Three discs are devoted to him on the Gasparo label alone, and I intend to delve more deeply into his music."
American Record Guide/Sept.-Oct. 2003
"A three-movement work of diverting generosity. The opening movement is indeed bright and cocksure, with ebullience and a freshness that is immediately appealing. Sargon knows all about rhythmic insouciance and gives the first trumpeter a forceful and effective part to play. Sargon gives the wind some effective lines as well-- it all ends well and excitingly and I enjoyed the work."
Classical CD Reviews MusicWeb (UK)/2003
" ... Sargon starts by jabbing motifs of Scott Joplin's 'The Entertainer' from one instrumental group to another. But the more extensively the fragmentation is pursued in subsequent variations, the more the piece engages."
Dallas Morning News/April 2006
"Sargon's tender setting...captures the essence of the text simply but intensely."
Choral Journal/October 1997
"... a moving and solidly built piece that deserves a place in the repertory. The texts, in English, Aramaic and Hebrew, are drawn from the penitential services held during the month preceding Rosh Hashanah, the Jewish New Year. The cumulative effect, though somber is never merely gloomy, and there is not a touch of self-indulgence in words or music. Sargon is especially skillful in using the forces at his disposal...the dialogue between choir and soloist is expertly handled, giving shape and direction to the individual movements."
Fort Worth Star-Telegram/July 1984
"As for 'Elul,' it proved to be a remarkable work by a remarkable composer. Based on traditional and modern texts concerning the Jewish penitential season, it transcends sectarian limits and takes on a universal significance; it may be regarded (to borrow a phrase from Ernest Bloch) as part of the 'gift of Judaism to the whole of mankind.' "
Dallas Observer/August 1984
"The cantata is a work of great intensity and real beauty, and it seemed to me that it would have an appeal to audiences outside the Jewish tradition. I was struck by Sargon's dramatic sense and by his originality as a composer. While his musical idiom is modern, it is not acerbic or forbidding, and one quickly becomes engrossed in the cantata. The overall effect is strong, but several sections in particular stick in the memory. Part four ('The Lord, the Lord God') is a simply gorgeous piece for chorus...In the mysterious and and tortured 'Our God and God of Our Fathers,' short baritone phrases in Hebrew are juxtaposed with choral singing in English; it is very effective. Also quite striking is the 'Angels of Prayer,' in which the baritone sings amid a kind of chant in the chorus...The tenth and final section is another haunting and melodically appealing section for soprano and chorus... Sargon is no ordinary composer."
Dallas Times Herald/ September 1981
"From SMU professor Simon Sargon came a Fantasy on 'The Miller's Tears,' a song by the Yiddish composer, poet and performer Mark Warshawsky. The song's upward-spreading intervals are a unifying gesture, as the music speeds up into cheery then frenzied dances. After a shrieking climax, the gentler opening mood returns."
Dallas Morning News/March 2008
"'Flame of the Lord' is a cantata based on selections of the Song of Songs scored for solo soprano, baritone, flute, harp and cello. It is melodic, attractively romantic fare...very pretty..."
American Record Guide/ May-June 2001
"Described as a 'Chanukah anthem,' For All Your Miracles is a light-rock commemoration of the Feast of Lights. Stylistically, this relaxed yet spirited composition could be termed 'contemporary Jewish'... The voice parts and accompaniment are easy to perform... With simple but bracing harmony and a most comfortable feel, For All Your Miracles is a pleasant and engaging piece of music."
Choral Journal/September 1995
"The title honors the late classical-music broadcaster Karl Haas, but only the central 'Andante espressivo,' tender and lyrical, is specifically memorial... Sargon is a fine and fluent craftsman and contrapuntist. "
Dallas Morning News/May 2006
"The trio is vividly alive, playfully touching and with a gallic edginess. The 'Vivo' even has a faintly absurdist tone. This is music brimming with genuine life- melodic, tonal and pleasing."
MusicWeb International/June 2008
"[Sargon's] largely American, quirky 'Haas Trio for Oboe, bassoon, and Piano' shows another side of his talent...the moving elegy to Haas's memory is now the central movement of an otherwise unabashedly lighthearted expression."
Fanfare Magazine/September 2008
"In this case I can heartily recommend the two works by Simon Sargon ['Homage to Hafiz' and 'Haas Trio'] (also the pianist here) as being completely involving and lovely works tinged with a sort of eastern exoticism that fits the nature of the oboe very well."
Audiophile Audition/June 2008
"A three movement work which rolls back seven centuries to take us to the city of Shiraz. These are mood pieces which... evoke ancient evenings and messages to do with beauty transcending the passage of time. Sargon writes in an accessible language which is intensely and memorably melodic."
MusicWeb International/June 2008
"Sargon's 'Homage to Hafiz' is appropriately exotic in flavor...'Hafiz' shows him to be a fine colorist."
Fanfare Magazine/September 2008
"Sargon...is a deft composer. His 'Homage to Hafiz' evokes the 14th-century Persian poet in fragrant 'Eastern' sounding music."
Dallas Morning News/July 2008
"Though the entire CD was wonderful, I found the piece 'Huntsman, What Quarry?' to be magnificent. As a classical singer I am always looking for interesting and beautiful pieces. Simon Sargon is a truly magical composer. I performed these on my senior recital in undergrad and they were very well received. Standout pieces! I think what distinguishes a good composer from a great composer is whether or not the music helped the audience find a deeper meaning in the poetry than they might have gotten from a straight reading. That is certainly the case here. In the future I will be looking for all the Simon Sargon music I can find. I highly recommend this work."
amazon.com Customer Review, September 2007
"Mr. Sargon's pair of songs for soprano, horn and piano were especially handsome pieces. Strongly crafted and immediate in their communication, the pair had Brahmsian textures and a strong melodic girth. Both songs made fresh use of the evocative powers of the horn (the texts deal with the hunt and the kill), with the first almost like a miniature opera scene and the second like an elegiac aria."
Dallas Morning News/May 1991
"Using the unusual but not unprecedented combination of soprano, horn and piano, Sargon created two haunting and memorable works, 'Huntsman, What Quarry?' and 'The Buck in the Snow.' The first opened with a late-20th-century salute to the early 19th-century...'The Buck' was somewhat gloomy and mysterious. Both were quite lyrical-- and further evidence that Sargon is a valuable resource to the community."
Dallas Times Herald/May 1991
"...vivid, strong...beautifully made pieces that make graphic and imaginative use of this special combination of sounds. Mr. Sargon has a superb feeling for the voice, and what he writes is not only effective but spins a mood and transports a listener."
Dallas Morning News/June 1992
"Stirring...ethereal...atmospheric...inventive. It presents a cross-section of various emotions which stir all Jews at the thought of Israel... A full and rewarding experience. It should definitely be repeated."
The Jewish Advocate/May 1983
"Accompanist Simon Sargon did a wonderful job serving the singer with faultless exactitude and eliciting from his piano parts maximum support for his singer."
Jerusalem Post/ June 1970
"The best part of Schumann's 'Dichterliebe' was the piano accompaniment, in which Simon Sargon was shown to be a superb pianist, tone poet, and shaper of musical lines. He was clearly the champion of the evening."
Kleine Zeitung/ August 1974
" ['Sweet Charity's] production numbers were performed with a certain snap that added life and meaning to the overall. Simon Sargon's work in the pit was largely responsible for that, giving a glittering edge to everything."
Columbus Dispatch/ July 1967
" ...exuberantly urbane..."
Star Time/Aug.-Sept. 1996
" ...delicious...The opening cadenza is a tour de force, showing off the virtuosity of the clarinet and setting a somber mood. It picks up once the piano enters and the entire work is a remarkable blending of klezmer dance and brilliant writing."
San Diego Jewish World/April 2009
" ...exhilarating...an ingenious imitation of klezmer music..."
American Record Guide/Mar.-Apr. 1997