“Bermel’s ‘Canzonas Americanas’ looked to Americas north and south, drawing from Copland, Bernstein and Gershwin for inspiration...the work’s final movement [was} a vivid evocation of the the Brazilian island, Itaparica.”

“Derek Bermel’s pieces [Canzonas Americanas] gleefully rampage across traditional stylistic boundaries. Bermel builds his music layer by layer, creating exhilaratingly complex instrumental textures… there’s no doubt about the wit of the song cycle Natural Selection, with its ironic glances at human behaviour, and vocal writing that runs the full gamut from speech to gospel.”

“[Bermel’s] musical guidebook was by Charles Ives and William Bolcom. He threw styles and genres around with abandon — and considerable skill. ”

“…commissioned and premiered by the Los Angeles Philharmonic...Bermel’s Canzonas Americanas channels a host of North and South American musical idioms…in a short 20 minutes, it brings the great American eclectic tradition fully into the twenty-first century. …this disc is a must: Bermel’s is a fresh voice well worth hearing.”