George Antheil: String Quartet no. 3
performed by the Fine Arts Quartet, or below by the Mondriaan String Quartet second, third and fourth movements (cover image by Larm Rmah) George Johann Carl Antheil was born on July 8, 1900 into a family of German immigrants in … Continue reading George Antheil: String Quartet no. 3
Roy Harris: Symphony no. 3
performed by the New York Philharmonic under Leonard Bernstein, or below by the NBC Orchestra and Arturo Toscanini For me the sounds were like no others I had ever heard – his whole ‘autogenic’ concept of form, the free and … Continue reading Roy Harris: Symphony no. 3
Henry Cowell: Symphony no. 2, ‘Anthropos’
performed by the American Symphony Orchestra under Leon Botstein (cover image by Freddie Marriage) Henry Dixon Cowell was born on 11 March, 1897 in Menlo Park, California “to two Bohemian writers,” says Wikipedia. “His father was an Irish immigrant and … Continue reading Henry Cowell: Symphony no. 2, ‘Anthropos’
Copland Symphony no. 2, ‘Short Symphony’
performed by the St. Louis Symphony under Leonard Slatkin, or below by the Orpheus Chamber Orchestra (cover image by Dawid Zawiła) The dialectic of this music, that is to say, its movement, the way each and every note comes out … Continue reading Copland Symphony no. 2, ‘Short Symphony’
Barber String Quartet in Bm, op. 11
performed by the Quatuor Diotima (cover image by Frantzou Fleurine) Everyone knows the middle movement, but what about what comes before and after it? This quartet, while an early work, is powerful and more than worthy of a listen from … Continue reading Barber String Quartet in Bm, op. 11
NSO’s Die Walküre
Featuring: Taiwan’s 國家交響樂團 (NSO) Wotan- Jukka Rasilainen Fricka- Jamie Barton Hunding- Andrea Silvestrelli Sieglinde- Anja Kampe Siegmund- Simon O’Neill Brünnhilde- Jennifer Wilson (and more) Carlus Padrissa, Esteban Muñoz, Roland Olbeter, Chu Uroz, and the crew of La Fura dels Baus … Continue reading NSO’s Die Walküre
Florence Price: Symphony no. 1 in Em
performed by the New Black Music Repertory Ensemble under Leslie B. Dunner (cover image by Dave Robinson) This is a historic symphony. Florence Beatrice Smith was born to Florence (née Gulliver) and James H. Smith on April 9, 1897 in Little … Continue reading Florence Price: Symphony no. 1 in Em
Randall Thompson: Symphony no. 2 in Em
performed by the New York Philharmonic under Leonard Bernstein, or below by the Detroit Symphony under Neeme Järvi second part of the above video It is based on no program either literary or spiritual. It is not cyclical. I wanted … Continue reading Randall Thompson: Symphony no. 2 in Em
Howard Hanson: Symphony no. 2 in D-flat, op. 30, ‘Romantic’
performed by the St. Louis Symphony under Leonard Slatkin https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hO2wTqo-eqg …a popular concert work which is the epitome of the twentieth-century symphony that could have been written by an American. (cover photo by Les Anderson) Howard Harold Hanson is not … Continue reading Howard Hanson: Symphony no. 2 in D-flat, op. 30, ‘Romantic’
Frederick Converse: String Quartet no. 2 in Am, op. 18
performed by Steve’s Bedroom Band (cover image by Francisco Aceldo) Frederick Shepherd Converse was born on January 5, 1871 in Newton, Massachusetts. He studied at Harvard with John Knowles Paine, and his op. 1 violin sonata from 1893 got ‘highest honors’ as … Continue reading Frederick Converse: String Quartet no. 2 in Am, op. 18
William Grant Still: Symphony no. 1 in A flat, ‘Afro-American’
performed by Neeme Järvi and the Detroit Symphony Orchestra second, third and fourth movements (cover image by Kent Henderson) George Gershwin won’t make it into the series, he has plenty of fame already. For a genius jazzy symphony, here’s something … Continue reading William Grant Still: Symphony no. 1 in A flat, ‘Afro-American’
Roger Sessions: Symphony no. 1
performed by the Japan Philharmonic under Akeo Watanabe …coming back from Europe I found America a very strange place. Some of the musical life had become quite European, with the arrival of so many distinguished musicians who had fled the … Continue reading Roger Sessions: Symphony no. 1
Ives Symphony no. 3, ‘The Camp Meeting’
performed by the Eastman Rochester Orchestra under Howard Hanson, or below by the Academy of St. Martin in the Fields under the late Sir Neville Marriner, who died exactly a year ago today (15 April 1924 – 2 October 2016) … Continue reading Ives Symphony no. 3, ‘The Camp Meeting’
Horatio Parker: Suite for Piano Trio in A, op. 35
performed by the Rawlings Piano Trio (cover image by Kassey Downard) Horatio Parker was born on September 15, 1863 in Auburndale, Massachusetts. He studied first with his mother, then with Chadwick at the New England Conservatory. He also studied, as did … Continue reading Horatio Parker: Suite for Piano Trio in A, op. 35
The Importance of Excellence
(or inspiration) The Preciousness of the Live Music Experience A soapbox moment (cover image by Adrian Korte) If my memory serves me correctly, my first post on this blog, back when I thought I’d listen to and leave notes about … Continue reading The Importance of Excellence
Arthur Foote: Piano Quintet in Am, op. 38
performed by the DaVinci Quartet and James Barbagallo, or as below by five other people second and third/fourth movements (cover image by Matthew Landers) Arthur William Foote was born on March 5, 1853 in Salem, Massachusetts. He was organist of the … Continue reading Arthur Foote: Piano Quintet in Am, op. 38
George Whitefield Chadwick: Symphony no. 3 in F
performed by the Detroit Symphony Orchestra under Neeme Järvi (cover image by Igor Goryachev) George Whitefield Chadwick was born on 13 November 1854 in Lowell, Massachusetts. I haven’t seen a lot around about his musical education, but he took organ … Continue reading George Whitefield Chadwick: Symphony no. 3 in F
Beach Symphony in E minor, Op. 32, ‘Gaelic’
performed by Neeme Järvi and the Detroit Symphony Orchestra …[w]e of the North should be far more likely to be influenced by old English, Scotch or Irish songs, inherited with our literature from our ancestors. -Amy Beach (cover image by … Continue reading Beach Symphony in E minor, Op. 32, ‘Gaelic’
John Knowles Paine: Symphony no. 1 in Cm
performed by the Ulster Orchestra under JoAnn Falletta, or below by the New York Philharmonic under Zubin Mehta (cover image by Freddie Marriage) Before Mr. Paine, there had never been an American music writer worthy of serious consideration in the … Continue reading John Knowles Paine: Symphony no. 1 in Cm
America’s Next Top Mahler
or The American Symphony: a Series I’ve been wanting to use that line for so long, and I am positive someone’s used it somewhere but I haven’t even bothered looking because I’m so proud I thought of it. In any case, … Continue reading America’s Next Top Mahler
NSO’s Poem of Ecstasy
featuring Jan Vogler Programming is so important. And our NSO is sounding incredible this season. Some of you likely enjoyed, depending on your generation, making mixtapes, burning mixes on CD, or creating playlists to distribute or enjoy via various media … Continue reading NSO’s Poem of Ecstasy
Fugue for Thought 