An American Tapestry. HOVHANESS: Symphony No. 2, “Mysterious Mountain.” PISTON: The Incredible Flutist. W. SCHUMAN: New England Triptych. IVES: Three Places in New England. GRIFFES: The White Peacock
AN AMERICAN TAPESTRY. Andrew Litton conducting the Dallas Symphony Orchestra. DORIAN DOR-90224 [DDD] ; 73:00. Produced by Andrew Keener.
HOVHANESS: Symphony No. 2, “Mysterious Mountain.” PISTON: The Incredible Flutist. SCHUMAN: New England Triptych. IVES: Three Places in New England. GRIFFES: The White Peacock.
This is an ideal CD for the general listener who avoids twentieth-century American music on the assumption that it is not an area of the repertoire likely to provide immediate gratification. To the contrary, however, everything on this recent release is likely to appeal to most listeners, regardless of their level of exposure or sophistication. Moreover, each is a fine piece of music–and generally the best-known work of each respective composer; for this reason, those who are interested in American music will probably own recordings of these pieces already. The Dallas Symphony plays superbly, although Litton’s tempos are at times a little too fast. The sound quality is extremely crisp and clear.