Morton Gould - Symphonettes Nos. 2-4; Spirituals for Orchestra (Arthur Fagen)

Information

Composer: Morton Gould

• (01) Symphonette No. 4 "Latin-American Symphonette"
• (05) Symphonette No. 3 "Third American Symphonette"
• (09) Symphonette No. 2 "Second American Symphonette"
• (12) Spirituals for Orchestra

Vienna Radio Symphony Orchestra
Arthur Fagen, conductor

Date: 2020
Label: Naxos
https://www.naxos.com/catalogue/item.asp?item_code=8.559869

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Review

ARTISTIC QUALITY: 7 / SOUND QUALITY: 8

Morton Gould’s Symphonettes from the 1930s and ’40s are quintessential examples of his “crossover” style. They bear out Gould’s natural and unpretentious flair for fusing popular idioms and classical structures, along with his skillful, ingenuous, and effective orchestration. Take, for example, Symphonette No. 3’s madcap finale, with its restless darting melodic lines and unpredictable silences, or the “Latin-American” No. 4’s vivacious concluding Conga. Few of Gould’s American contemporaries were writing comparably upbeat and inventive music during that time (okay, Copland and Ellington, perhaps, but not all that many!).

By contrast, the Spirituals reveal a more seriously sustained persona. In the first-movement “Proclamation” recitative-like passages transpire between loud chordal thunderbolts, while gentle dabs of dissonance prevent the touchingly plaintive melodies in “Sermon” from sounding cloying. The latter movement plays to conductor Arthur Fagen’s strengths and the Vienna ensemble’s excellent strings in regard to its broad and beautifully sustained tempo.

Elsewhere, Fagen’s capable performances never quite swing, nor match the incisive spark that others have brought to this music. His relatively logy reading of the Second Symphonette’s darting and witty “Fast and Racy” finale pales next to the Louisville Symphony’s quicker pace and stinging accents, and the aforementioned “Conga” lacks both the unfettered joy and airtight ensemble distinguishing Felix Slatkin’s classic Hollywood Bowl Symphony recording. In other words, idiomatic flair is in short supply. For more convincing examples of Fagen’s work, investigate his fine Martinu symphony cycle, also on Naxos. Good sound, and first-rate annotations by Frank K. DeWald.

-- Jed Distler, ClassicsToday

More reviews:
http://www.musicweb-international.com/classrev/2020/Apr/Gould_sys_8559869.htm
https://www.lightmusicsociety.com/2020/04/17/morton-gould-symphonettes-2-4/
https://www.pizzicato.lu/unterhaltsame-symphonik-aus-den-usa/
http://www.classicalmusicsentinel.com/KEEP/gould-fagen.html
https://artmusiclounge.wordpress.com/2020/03/02/arthur-fagen-conducts-morton-gould/
https://artsfuse.org/197963/classical-cd-reviews-aspects-of-america-the-pulitzer-edition-morton-gould-symphonettes-and-lindberg-conducts-bernstein/
https://www.naxos.com/reviews/reviewslist.asp?catalogueid=8.559869&languageid=EN

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Morton Gould (December 10, 1913 – February 21, 1996) was an American composer, conductor, arranger, and pianist. He studied at the Institute of Musical Art in New York, where his most important teachers were Abby Whiteside and Vincent Jones. Gould was known for his ability to seamlessly combine multiple musical genres into formal classical structure. He incorporated new styles, including rapping narrator and American tap dancing, into his repertoire as they emerged. In 1995, Gould was awarded the Pulitzer Prize for his Stringmusic. As a conductor, Gould led all of the major American orchestras.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Morton_Gould

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Arthur Fagen (born 1951 in New York ) is an American conductor. He studied conducting with Laszlo Halasz, then with Max Rudolf at the Curtis Institute, Hans Swarowsky and Tito Gobbi at the Mozarteum Salzburg, and worked as an assistant to Christoph von Dohnányi at the Frankfurt Opera. Fagen has been a conductor at the Metropolitan Opera in New York since 1987, where he began as James Levine's assistant. Further engagements as guest conductor have taken him to cities across Europe, as well as Tokyo, Beijing and Shanghai. He has recorded for BMG/RCA, and radio stations in Germany and China.
https://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Arthur_Fagen
http://fagen.chronosartists.com/index1.php

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