Charles Munch conducts Martinu and Piston

Here's a transfer on request. I have uploaded the monaural LM series lp of Charles Munch and the BSO in the sixth symphonies of both Walter Piston and Bohuslav Martinu. Typical Munch here, exciting and bracing, full of raw energy. I wish Munch had recorded more by these two composers. He would have made a compelling Martinu cycle, I'm sure.

These recordings date from 1957 I believe.

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A Whole Lot of American Music

I'm going to do something a bit different today. I've got a bunch, a BUNCH, of recordings of American classics that I have transferred over the months and been sitting on. In one fell swoop, I'm offering them up here for some industrial size transferring. Here goes!

The first one is the jacket above of music of Ruggles and Cowell, a monaural Columbia recording, ML4986. Pianist John Kirkpatrick shines in Evocations! It's a masterpiece played by a master!

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Monaural ARS-38 - music by Henry Brant and Burrill Phillips.

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The excellent Beveridge Webster playing Copland, Sessions and Carter on Dover HCR5265 - monaural.

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Dean Dixon conducts symphonies of Cowell and Piston on ARS 112 - monaural. One of my favorite conductors.

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Music of Swanson, Diamond and Hanson of ARS6 & ARS 7 - monaural. Dean Dixon again along with the underrated Texan, Walter Hendl.

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Chamber Music of Harris and Diamond with Lawrence Sobol, clarinet. Grenadilla GS1007 Stereo. Mid 70's Super, super musicianship here.

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Longtime New England Conservatory professor Veronica Jochum plays MacDowell and Griffes on stereo Golden Crest CRS4168. Mid 70's. If you do not know Eugen Jochum's daughter, now is your chance to make her acquaintance!

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Have fun! Whew!

Dean Dixon conducts symphonies by Cowell and Piston

Two years ago, I had the pleasure of posting the original 10 inch ARS of Dean Dixon conducting Walter Piston's Symphony No 2. Good fortune has shined down on me as I recently found the "reissue" of that recording coupled with Dixon's strong reading of Henry Cowell's Symphony No 5 on an ARS full play album.

As I mentioned in previous posts, Dixon was a unique and gifted talent but, because of the period in which he was active, his native American audience would never fully come to appreciate the gifts of this highly principled, sensitive and intelligent man. Known and respected throughout Europe, where he settled during the 1950's, Dixon as a conductor was as comfortable in Mendelssohn as he was in music by Walter Piston or Henry Cowell. Astonishing for me is how he was able to achieve such an idiomatic sound from Viennese musiciansfor these recordings. The offbeat folksiness of Cowell and somewhat spikey New England sound  of Piston shine through without a forced or agitated manner. In fact, I'll go so far as to say that that under Dixon, these Austrian musicians sound like they are actually enjoying these two unfamiliar pieces which had no real place in their repertoire.

It is disappointing that Henry Cowell's star has diminished over the years. He had a great way of balancing modern techniques against the simple folk rhythms that formed the base of his creative style. I don't think him far removed from Virgil Thomson though oddly, Thomson has fared well though he was, in my opinion, not as original, or interesting, as Cowell.

I'm really glad that I found this very clean lp. Great introduction to mid 20th century American music.

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Dean Dixon and Howard Hanson conduct American Masters of the mid 20th century

Catching up on some transfers since I've basically been tied to the house this weekend with a queasy stomach. Perhaps its the chicken I ate the other night....

Here's some American music of the middle part of the last century. My pick here is the 10 inch (in honor of Buster) that I picked up a while back of Dean Dixon conducting Walter Piston's 2nd symphony with the "American Recording Society Orchestra." Recorded around 1950, it is the label's ARS-1 and the results of this first issue are absolutely thrilling. In my opinion, a composer could not ask for more powerful advocacy then what Dixon puts forth here. Orchestral playing is in spades here, a remarkable achievement for a pickup orchestra of sorts and this is possibly Dixon's finest recording of anything - it is THAT good. I am VERY happy with this transfer and I hope that you the listener will derive much pleasure from it. Piston's second is truly THE American symphony!

Howard Hanson conducts the balance of the program which includes Sessions' Suite from the Black Maskers, Hovhaness' Prelude and Quadruple Fugue, Barber's Overture to the School for Scandal and Adagio for Strings, and LoPresti's The Masks. I like the last piece very much; LoPresti was a rather prolific composer and arranger and he has a firm grasp on orchestral textures along with a solid gift in melody. Hanson, of course, proves a strong advocate of the music in this program since he was well acquainted with each composer in both a professional and personal setting. All composers write in a highly listenable vein which is bent on a conservative streak. Nuthin' wrong with that!

I think these compositions make for a nice, quite representative program of a very rich period in the musical life of my country.

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