Notes and Editorial Reviews
Two neo-romantic American composers are featured on this album. The symphony by Douglas Moore (best known for his opera The Ballad of Baby Doe,) stays within the symphonic tradition of four movements with the equivalents of a sonata form first movement, scherzo, slow movement and a lively finale. However the melodic and rhythmic ideas are decidedly American mid-20th Century Neo-romantic, occasionally offering a sophisticated spin on subtle folk song influences. All in all, it is an appealing work for anyone who enjoys the music of Don Gillis, Roy Harris, Morton Gould or Mark O’Connor. The Japan Philharmonic under William Strickland sounds as idiomatic and rambunctious as any stateside orchestra.
Moore’s “Farm Journal” is a
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“hoot”; a rarely heard piece of blatant Americana outlining in lively music, a workday on the farm from early rising to square dance.
The works by Marion Bauer are dignified without being stuffy and quite lyrical. One of the many Americans who studied in Paris with Nadia Boulanger, Bauer’s composition students in turn included Miriam Gideon and Milton Babbitt. Over the course of her career, Bauer’s music encompassed romanticism, impressionism and the 12-tone technique. The Prelude and Fugue for Flute and String Orchestra combines flights of fancy with classical restraint.
The 1950s sound is early stereo and quite listenable with a narrower range than later stereo and will also benefit from audiophile tinkering by those who have good sound systems.
- Greg La Traille,
ArkivMusic
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Works on This Recording
1.
Prelude and Fugue for Flute and String Orchestra, Op. 43 by Marion Bauer
Conductor:
Charles Adler
Orchestra/Ensemble:
Vienna Concert Orchestra
Period: 20th Century
Written: 1948/1949; USA
Length: 7 Minutes 27 Secs.
Notes: This selection was originally released in 1955.
2.
Suite for Strings by Marion Bauer
Conductor:
Charles Adler
Orchestra/Ensemble:
Vienna Concert Orchestra
Period: 20th Century
Written: 1955; USA
Length: 14 Minutes 47 Secs.
Notes: This selection was originally released in 1955.
3.
Farm Journal by Douglas Moore
Conductor:
Alfredo Antonini
Orchestra/Ensemble:
Oslo Philharmonic Orchestra
Period: 20th Century
Written: 1948; USA
Length: 14 Minutes 20 Secs.
Notes: This selection was originally released in 1955.
4.
Cotillion by Douglas Moore
Conductor:
Alfredo Antonini
Orchestra/Ensemble:
Oslo Philharmonic Orchestra
Period: 20th Century
Written: 1952; USA
Length: 14 Minutes 6 Secs.
Notes: This selection was originally released in 1957.
5.
Symphony no 2 in A major by Douglas Moore
Conductor:
William Strickland
Orchestra/Ensemble:
Japan Philharmonic Symphony Orchestra
Period: 20th Century
Written: 1945; USA
Length: 19 Minutes 15 Secs.
Notes: This selection was originally released in 1959.
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