Naxos American Classics

[ChamberNut]

The John Alden Carpenter disc I listened to earlier this week (Violin Sonata, String Quartet, Piano Quintet) was a Naxos American Classic disc, I just realized it now.

[Benji]

Has anyone heard this and can offer any comment?:



A symphony for large wind ensemble. Interesting! Naxos obviously think highly of it given the crazy holographic cover they gave it, which was probably pretty expensive.

[DavidRoss]

Has anyone heard this and can offer any comment?:
A symphony for large wind ensemble. Interesting! Naxos obviously think highly of it given the crazy holographic cover they gave it, which was probably pretty expensive.

Not yet, but agree it sounds interesting.  Not enough repertoire for wind bands!  Subscription to streaming of all the Naxos catalog is only £20/year, Ben.

[Benji]

Not yet, but agree it sounds interesting.  Not enough repertoire for wind bands!  Subscription to streaming of all the Naxos catalog is only £20/year, Ben.

That's an exceptionally good deal no doubt. I pay £15 a month to Napster currently, and they have all the Naxos releases, plus well just about everything else from the major labels so i'm happy with that.

Napster have the Corigliano disc in fact, so I will have a listen tonight and report back. Nothing like stirring your own curiosity eh? 

[Dundonnell]

That's an exceptionally good deal no doubt. I pay £15 a month to Napster currently, and they have all the Naxos releases, plus well just about everything else from the major labels so i'm happy with that.

Napster have the Corigliano disc in fact, so I will have a listen tonight and report back. Nothing like stirring your own curiosity eh? 

Has anyone heard this and can offer any comment?:



A symphony for large wind ensemble. Interesting! Naxos obviously think highly of it given the crazy holographic cover they gave it, which was probably pretty expensive.

Yes, I have that disc "Interesting" is the word for it. Not necessarily a piece I would want to listen to repeatedly but it is colourful and exciting-a real 'sonic spectacular'. Corigliano is not a composer whose music strikes me as having much real depth or substance but there is a lot of surface attractiveness.

There is a bit about the work here and a review by our own Bruce-

http://www.schirmer.com/Default.aspx?TabId=2419&State_2872=2&composerId_2872=290

[vandermolen]

I have been listening to Stephen Albert's extraordinary 'River Run' Symphony (Naxos) - a great work which is tonal but very contemporary - it has an urgency which had me gripped from the start. I can't remember if we discussed it before - probably but it's too late here for me to trawl through the thread. Any other fans of this work? Very sad that he was killed in a car crash aged 50 or 51.

A new discovery for me has been Quincy Porter's Symphony No 1 - one of those works that I listened to once and didn't make much of.  Having returned to it my opinion has radically changed and I have played it through, with much pleasure, four times today.  It was composed in 1934 and is rather in the spirit of Walter Piston I think.  It has an especially fine last movement.

[Dundonnell]

I have been listening to Stephen Albert's extraordinary 'River Run' Symphony (Naxos) - a great work which is tonal but very contemporary - it has an urgency which had me gripped from the start. I can't remember if we discussed it before - probably but it's too late here for me to trawl through the thread. Any other fans of this work? Very sad that he was killed in a car crash aged 50 or 51.

A new discovery for me has been Quincy Porter's Symphony No 1 - one of those works that I listened to much and didn't make much of.  Having returned to it my opinion has radically changed and I have played it through, with much pleasure, four times today.  It was composed in 1934 and is rather in the spirit of Walter Piston I think.  It has an especially fine last movement.

I shall listen to both works again and get back to you

[vandermolen]

I shall listen to both works again and get back to you

Thanks Colin - will be interested to hear your views. Porter's Symphony No 1 lost out in a competition to Gardner Read (remember him?  ). Porter died of a stroke, aged 69, in his tv room, watching the Yale-Princeton (American) football game. The last movement of symphony No 1 is very gripping I think.

[Dundonnell]

The Musicweb review of the recently issued Naxos disc of music by the Seattle composer, Samuel Jones-

http://www.musicweb-international.com/classrev/2009/May09/Jones_8559378.htm

I certainly agree with the comparisons between Jones and his teacher Howard Hanson

[Guido]

What did people think of the Albert cello concerto?

[Dundonnell]

What did people think of the Albert cello concerto?

A very fine piece, Guido

Streets ahead....in my humble opinion....of the John Williams.

[Guido]

A very fine piece, Guido

Streets ahead....in my humble opinion....of the John Williams.

You may be right about that - it is an extraordinary work in my opinion, I really enjoy the clean textures, memorable themes, and sheer drama and power of it. Sorry that you didn't like the John Williams - Heartwood I think is very fine in deed (though I very much like the cello concerto - such unusual writing for the instrument and there's nothing else quite like it for us cellists...)

[vandermolen]

The Musicweb review of the recently issued Naxos disc of music by the Seattle composer, Samuel Jones-

http://www.musicweb-international.com/classrev/2009/May09/Jones_8559378.htm

I certainly agree with the comparisons between Jones and his teacher Howard Hanson

Thanks Colin - I will be ordering this - sounds really good from the review.

[vandermolen]

I have been playing the Symphony No 3 'Palo Duro Canyon' by Samuel Jones (b 1935) and greatly enjoying it (thanks Colin for alerting us to it). It begins with what I assumed was a wind machine (cue for extended debate on the virtues of wind machines  ) but is actually a 'prepared tape'. The opening section reminded me of John Kinsella's 4th Symphony which is a kind of traversal of the counties of Ireland in the order of which they are hit by the prevailing wind. The Jones work is not necessarily a great symphony but it is an enjoyable one - a bit like Arnold Rosner in places and having heard it once I immediately wanted to hear it again - I suspect that it will continue to grow on me. There are echoes of Howard Hanson too - a composer I much admire.

Incidentally, does anyone know the Giannini Piano Concerto and Symphony in the Naxos series? I just read a very good review of both works.

[Dundonnell]

Delighted that you enjoyed the Samuel Jones Symphony, Jeffrey

Giannini? Certainly worthy of investigation The Piano Concerto is very romantic in a style reminiscent of Rachmaninov, the Symphony is a sound, very respectable addition to the ranks of the American 20th century Romantic Symphony, although no match for those of, say, Howard Hanson.

[vandermolen]

I don't recall much discussion of Paul Creston here (1906-85). I regard his Symphony No 2 as one of the great American 20th century symphonies - along with the thirds of Copland, Harris, William Schuman and David Diamond, the first symphonies of Samuel Barber and Leonard Bernstein and the fourths of George Antheil and Howard Hanson.  The rhythmically propulsive second movement of Creston's Second Symphony is one of the most exciting movements I know. The best version is on Chandos with Neema Jarvi and the Detroit SO, coupled with a not-so-good version of Ives's Second Symphony. I have just noticed this available at £2.48 at the Amazon UK site.

[The new erato]

I don't recall much discussion of Paul Creston here (1906-85). I regard his Symphony No 2 as one of the great American 20th century symphonies - along with the thirds of Copland, Harris, William Schuman and David Diamond, the first symphonies of Samuel Barber and Leonard Bernstein and the fourths of George Antheil and Howard Hanson.  The rhythmically propulsive second movement of Creston's Second Symphony is one of the most exciting movements I know. The best version is on Chandos with Neema Jarvi and the Detroit SO, coupled with a not-so-good version of Ives's Second Symphony. I have just noticed this available at £2.48 at the Amazon UK site.

No Piston 6th?

[jowcol]

I think In my summary further back, I mentioned the 2nd movement of Creston's 2nd symphony was alone worth getting that Creston Symphonies disc. As I recall, there is a passage in the Naxos version running from about 8:50 to 10:00 that is one of my favorite "soundbites" in 20th century classical music.  It's simply too brilliant-- the driving rhythms and the soaring strings are unreal.  It resolves sort of conventionally, which is a let down, but time truly stops there.

I must confess I've made a separate mp3 just so I can put that part on repeat....

[vandermolen]

No Piston 6th?

Yes, that's a fine work but I don't know it so well.  Actually his Second Symphony is my favourite.

[vandermolen]

I think In my summary further back, I mentioned the 2nd movement of Creston's 2nd symphony was alone worth getting that Creston Symphonies disc. As I recall, there is a passage in the Naxos version running from about 8:50 to 10:00 that is one of my favorite "soundbites" in 20th century classical music.  It's simply too brilliant-- the driving rhythms and the soaring strings are unreal.  It resolves sort of conventionally, which is a let down, but time truly stops there.

I must confess I've made a separate mp3 just so I can put that part on repeat....

Yes, that's the section - I just want it to go on and on - one of the most exciting moments in any symphony I know. You are right, it does resolve rather conventionally but things fire off again at very end of the Symphony.