In Reply to: The Great American Symphony posted by TGR on March 21, 2015 at 12:10:29:
Thank you for your very fine overview of American symphonies. Personally, I've never cared much for Ives, but I know others enjoy his music.
Any review article will be limited, so it is no surprise that Lehman selected just a few symphonies to recommend. But I was disappointed that some others could not be included in his survey.
David Diamond, who died in 2005, was IMO an excellent American composer. I think his 3rd symphony, premiered by Munch in Boston in 1945, is widely considered the best of his 11 symphonies, and I would not argue with that. The recording by Schwarz is very good.
Hovhaness got a bad rap for being so prolific, but his 2nd symphony "Mysterious Mountain" is surely one of the best symphonies composed by an American. Reiner's recording with the Chicago Symphony is a classic, although there are some recordings with much better audio available.
I'm not sure that William Grant Still's 2nd Symphony "Afro-American" is really one of the best ever by an American composer, but it is certainly an excellent work. And being written by one of America's few African-American composers, it deserves much broader recognition than it has received.
"Life without music is a mistake" (Nietzsche)
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Follow Ups
- For further listening - Amphissa 17:54:40 03/21/15 (13)
- +1 Diamond 3rd and +1 Still's 2nd [nt] - Mike Porper 13:37:58 03/25/15 (0)
- I would add - csofan 19:18:03 03/22/15 (0)
- Hovhaness did 2 things over and over- - oldmkvi 00:08:24 03/22/15 (8)
- Yes - but at least he often uses different modes. . . - Chris from Lafayette 13:30:51 03/22/15 (0)
- The morality of music - Amphissa 05:22:41 03/22/15 (6)
- Not Diamond??!! - Mike Porper 13:52:37 03/25/15 (0)
- hahaha -- that's what I get - Amphissa 10:22:23 03/22/15 (1)
- Don't feel bad.... - D Harvey 14:15:45 03/22/15 (0)
- It's time for new glasses!!!! LOLOLOLOLOLOL. nt - oldmkvi 08:33:09 03/22/15 (0)
- The poster above wrote "Homophonic." As in, a one-line composition. - John Marks 05:53:33 03/22/15 (1)
- RE: The poster above wrote "Homophonic." As in, a one-line composition. - oldmkvi 08:34:52 03/22/15 (0)
- Hovhaness' Symphonies could get a whole article by themselves! - Chris from Lafayette 18:21:45 03/21/15 (1)
- A mighty task indeed - Amphissa 05:38:03 03/22/15 (0)