London Symphony Orchestra & Lance Friedel – American Symphonies (2018) [FLAC 24bit/96kHz]

The US stage has boasted many symphonists since the days of the founding fathers Ives, Copland and Barber: Morton Gould of course, Howard Hanson without a doubt, Roger Sessions, Virgil Thomson… But Walter Piston whose Sixth Symphony presented here was performed by none other than Charles Munch and the Boston Orchestra in 1955. There’s no avant-garde here, but jubilation at every turn – just listen to the utterly brilliant and witty Scherzo, worthy of a cowboy Mendelssohn – in a “classical” writing style and orchestral in form, but with a completely modern content. Piston, like so many of his contemporaries, didn’t go in for “absolute serialism”, and nor did his most famous student, Bernstein. The second symphony on the album is the phenomenal Third “Palo Duro Canyon” by Samuel Jones, a disciple of Howard Hanson. First performed in 1992, it carries on the tonal tradition of Copland, Barber and Hanson, in a celebratory writing style and, above all, a kind of orchestration which is simply stupefying. The album closes on the Second (and alas the final) Symphony by Stephen Albert – the First had won him the prestigious Pulitzer Prize – a composer who tragically passed away at the age of 51 in a 1992 car crash. The Second had been commissioned by the New York Philharmonic; it was finished by Sebastian Currier, based on manuscripts which were complete but for a definitive orchestration. This is a powerful work, very compact in its conception, which shows that the American stage is alive and well.

Tracklist:
01. Symphony No. 6: I. Fluendo espressivo
02. Symphony No. 6: II. Scherzo. Leggerissimo vivace
03. Symphony No. 6: III. Adagio sereno
04. Symphony No. 6: IV. Allegro energico
05. Symphony No. 3 “Palo Duro Canyon”: Ia. Allegro inquieto
06. Symphony No. 3 “Palo Duro Canyon”: Ib. Adagio cantabile
07. Symphony No. 3 “Palo Duro Canyon”: Ic. Andante
08. Symphony No. 3 “Palo Duro Canyon”: Id. Allegro vivo
09. Symphony No. 3 “Palo Duro Canyon”: Ie. Andante maestoso
10. Symphony No. 3 “Palo Duro Canyon”: If. Andante solenne
11. Symphony No. 2 (Completed by S. Currier): I. —
12. Symphony No. 2 (Completed by S. Currier): II. —
13. Symphony No. 2 (Completed by S. Currier): III. —

Personnel:
London Symphony Orchestra
Lance Friedel, conductor

Download:

mqs.link_LndnSymphnyrchestraLanceFriedelAmericanSymphnies20182496.part1.rar
mqs.link_LndnSymphnyrchestraLanceFriedelAmericanSymphnies20182496.part2.rar