In his Concerto for Cello and Orchestra, the composer seeks to “… fuse my interest in neo-classical clarity and design with what I feel is the songful, heroic nature of the greatest cello concerto literature.” The work’s heart lies in its highly effective central movement: a potent and chilling evocation of the “anguish of the innocent people in war’s crossfire” – the composer’s response to the recent conflict in Iraq. New Music Connoisseur describes Hickey’s Concerto for Clarinet and String Orchestra as being “… packed (with) many ideas … without ever digressing from a solid thematic core. The second of the three movements was unique in effect, a restless, yet haunting recollection of life in the US heartland, while the frenzied finale was all metropolitan New York.” Both works get expert, inspired, and well-recorded performances from Maestro Vladimir Lande, featuring renowned cellist Dmitry Kouzov and vaunted clarinet virtuoso Alexander Fiterstein with excellent St. Petersburg Orchestras.