Post by erik on Jul 1, 2023 19:02:31 GMT -5
Though he was frequently overshadowed by other great American composers, Morton Gould nevertheless managed to make his mark on the American Sound of the 20th century. Case in point, the work in this year's 4th of July Classical Works Spotlight segment.
Morton Gould: LATIN AMERICAN SYMPHONETTE
It can sometimes be easy to overlook certain American composers when the attention usually turns to heavyweights like Aaron Copland, George Gershwin, or Samuel Barber. But the American Sound that was a fixture of 20th century classical music has a lot of other composers of sizeable standing. Morton Gould, who lived from 1913 to 1996, was one of those composers, prolific in his own way and able to go from scoring for TV and movies to works for the concert hall. One of his most popular works was his 1940 “Latin American Symphonette”, which, like Copland’s “El Salon Mexico” and “Danzon Cubano”, integrates the influences of Latin America into a thoroughly engaging whole. The four-movement work consists of: (1) Rhumba; (2) Tango; (3) Guaracha; and (4) Conga. Although its premiere was complicated by the fact that a lot of orchestras in America were hemorrhaging members because many of them went off to serve in World War II, the Latin American Symphonette was exceptionally popular in Gould’s lifetime; and while it has only received a handful of recordings since then, notably by Maurice Abravanel and the Utah Symphony Orchestra in the mid-1960’s, its popularity helped contribute to the rise of Latin music as a part of the American Sound well into the 21st century, perhaps even influencing the sound of Leonard Bernstein’s epic score for West Side Story, and Henry Mancini’s famous score for director Orson Welles’ unconventional 1958 film-noir classic Touch Of Evil.
Utah Symphony Orchestra/MAURIC ABRAVABEL (Vanguard)
Included:
Louis Moreau Gottschalk: A NIGHT IN THE TROPICS
Louis Moreau Gottschalk: GRAND TARANTELLE FOR PIANO AND ORCHESTRA (Piano: REID NIBLEY)
Morton Gould: LATIN AMERICAN SYMPHONETTE
It can sometimes be easy to overlook certain American composers when the attention usually turns to heavyweights like Aaron Copland, George Gershwin, or Samuel Barber. But the American Sound that was a fixture of 20th century classical music has a lot of other composers of sizeable standing. Morton Gould, who lived from 1913 to 1996, was one of those composers, prolific in his own way and able to go from scoring for TV and movies to works for the concert hall. One of his most popular works was his 1940 “Latin American Symphonette”, which, like Copland’s “El Salon Mexico” and “Danzon Cubano”, integrates the influences of Latin America into a thoroughly engaging whole. The four-movement work consists of: (1) Rhumba; (2) Tango; (3) Guaracha; and (4) Conga. Although its premiere was complicated by the fact that a lot of orchestras in America were hemorrhaging members because many of them went off to serve in World War II, the Latin American Symphonette was exceptionally popular in Gould’s lifetime; and while it has only received a handful of recordings since then, notably by Maurice Abravanel and the Utah Symphony Orchestra in the mid-1960’s, its popularity helped contribute to the rise of Latin music as a part of the American Sound well into the 21st century, perhaps even influencing the sound of Leonard Bernstein’s epic score for West Side Story, and Henry Mancini’s famous score for director Orson Welles’ unconventional 1958 film-noir classic Touch Of Evil.
Utah Symphony Orchestra/MAURIC ABRAVABEL (Vanguard)
Included:
Louis Moreau Gottschalk: A NIGHT IN THE TROPICS
Louis Moreau Gottschalk: GRAND TARANTELLE FOR PIANO AND ORCHESTRA (Piano: REID NIBLEY)