Music of John J. Becker


From the collection of Karl Miller

1. Intro with Evelyn Becker
2. Concertino for 2 flutes and Orchestra
3. Outro
University of Cincinnati Philharmonia
Leslie Wiley, Judy Ulbert, flutes
Robert Sader, cond.

4. Introduction
5. Psalm of Love  for Soprano and Piano
Elsa Charlston, sop;,  Andrea Swann, pf.
February, 1976

6. Intro
7.  Soundpiece No. 7 for two pianos
Frina Ashanna and Kenwin Bolt, pianos
8. Outro.

Radio broadcast recordings.

http://www.mediafire.com/download.php?tqf90c3sns2q2j0


Wikipedia Bio:

John Joseph Becker (b. Henderson, Kentucky, January 22, 1886; d. Wilmette, Illinois, January 21, 1961) was an American composer of contemporary classical music. He is grouped together with Charles Ives, Carl Ruggles, Henry Cowell, and Wallingford Riegger as a member of the "American Five" composers of "ultra-modern" music.

The John J. Becker Papers are held by the Music Division of the New York Public Library.[1] Another collection, the Dr. John J. Becker (1886-1961) Papers, is held at the University of St. Thomas Libraries in Minnesota.[2]

Jeremy Beck:  Sinfonietta for String Orchestra
 


From the collection of Karl Miller




Date,venue, orchestra not known.

Biography at composers site:
http://www.beckmusic.org/biography/


Interesting Essay by Beck and Responses on the current state of composition.
http://beckmusic.org/wp-content/uploads/2012/05/Jeremy-Beck_Anything-Goes-Composition-at-the-Turn-of-the-Century-CMS-Newsletter-Jan-May-1999.pdf

Jeremy Beck:  Sinfonietta for String Orchestra
 


From the collection of Karl Miller


http://www.mediafire.com/?ptm34qroaxpph4x

Date,venue, orchestra not known.

Biography at composers site:
http://www.beckmusic.org/biography/


Interesting Essay by Beck and Responses on the current state of composition.
http://beckmusic.org/wp-content/uploads/2012/05/Jeremy-Beck_Anything-Goes-Composition-at-the-Turn-of-the-Century-CMS-Newsletter-Jan-May-1999.pdf

Music of Paul Ben-Haim

 
From the collection of Karl Miller, with a few additions.


Volume 1
1-4: From Israel (Suite for Orchestra)
Denver Symphony Orchestra
Saul Caston, Con.
Mar 11, 1958

Note:  The Stokowski version  of the Suite has  5 movements.
1. Prologue
2. Song of Songs
3. Yemenite Melody
4. Siesta
5. Celebration


5: Yiskor, Concerto for Violin
Shimon Mishori
Radio Orchestra of Israel
Shalom Ronli-Riklis, Cont.

6. Pastorale Variee for Clarinet, Harp and Strings
Op. 31
James Livingston, Clarinet
Louisville Orchestra
Robert Whitney, Cond.
LP Source: LOU 626  Released 1967

7.  Dance and Invocation
“Breslau Symphony Orch; Artur Rosenthal, Cond. “
Probably Israel Philharmonic , Istvan Kertesz, Cond.
LP Source: Aires 1613
 


8.  “To the Chief  Musician”, Metamorphoses for Orchestra
Robert Whitney, Cond.
Louisville Orchestra
LP Source:  LOU 601

9-11:  Symphony # 1
Royal Philharmonic Orchestra
Kenneth Alwyn, Cond.
LP Source”: CBS S 72629

12-13:  Intro, Cappriccio for Piano and Orchestra
Pnina Saltzman, pf.
Israel Philharmonic Orchestra
Carlo Maria Giulini, cond.
Dec 12, 1960


14: Rhapsody for Piano and Strings
Soloist unknown
Jerusalem Symphony Orchestra
Etlinger(?) Cond.

15-17:  Piano Concerto
Amiram Rigai, Piano
Haifa SO
Haifa Symphony Orchestra ; [Winston] Dan Vogel, conductor.

All tracks from the collection of Karl Miller
Sources are Radio broadcasts, LPs, or personal recordings.
None of these, to my knowledge, have been commercially released.



Volume 2:


18-21  Cello Concerto (1962)
Raphael Summer, Cello
BBC Symphony Orchestra
Gary Bertini, Conductor
Radio Broadcast, Date Unknown

Note-- this is from the Karl Miller collection as well, and I've already posted it to several forums.   I figured I would re-include it in this release so that  we would have a better collection.

The remainder of these audio tracks come from non-commercial postings of performances on Youtube.  I've offered what information I can.

22: Three Songs without Words
Flutist Jonathan Brahms and harpist Cynthia Price, the Da Camera Duo, perform Three Songs Without Words by Paul Ben-Haim (1897 - 1984) in a live concert at the MIT Chapel on January 13, 1983.

1. Arioso - Molto moderato
2. Ballade - Allegretto
3. Sephardic Song - Largamente, rubato e molto appasionato

Posted on YouTube by Jonathon Brahms

23  Improvisation and Dance:
Diego Gabete Violín
Yunhee Choi Piano
St Gabriel's, Pimlico
london, UK
Posted on Youtube by kikalis100

24. Fanfare for Israel
Polish Radio Symphony Orchestra
Conductor: Amos Talmon
May 2008
Posted on Youtube by: Amos


25.  Music for  Cello 3
Paul Ben-Haim, MUSIC FOR CELLO No. 3

Live recorded in concert, 19.02.2011

FIONA POLLAK, Orgel
MICHAEL CROITORU-WEISSMAN, Cello

Posted on Youtube by MICHAEL CROITORU-WEISSMAN

26: 3 songs without Words
On the Sax, - ANDRE TSIRLIN
Posted on Youtube  by Shali Boharon
Other details in Hebrew…

.

Music of Paul Ben-Haim

 
From the collection of Karl Miller, with a few additions.


Volume 1
1-4: From Israel (Suite for Orchestra)
Denver Symphony Orchestra
Saul Caston, Con.
Mar 11, 1958

Note:  The Stokowski version  of the Suite has  5 movements.
1. Prologue
2. Song of Songs
3. Yemenite Melody
4. Siesta
5. Celebration


5: Evocation - Concerto for Violin
Shimon Mishori
Radio Orchestra of Israel
Shalom Ronli-Riklis, Cont.

6. Pastorale Variee for Clarinet, Harp and Strings
Op. 31
James Livingston, Clarinet
Louisville Orchestra
Robert Whitney, Cond.
LP Source: LOU 626  Released 1967

7.  Dance and Invocation
“Breslau Symphony Orch; Artur Rosenthal, Cond. “
Probably Israel Philharmonic , Istvan Kertesz, Cond.
LP Source: Aires 1613
 


8.  “To the Chief  Musician”, Metamorphoses for Orchestra
Robert Whitney, Cond.
Louisville Orchestra
LP Source:  LOU 601

9-11:  Symphony # 1
Royal Philharmonic Orchestra
Kenneth Alwyn, Cond.
LP Source”: CBS S 72629

12-13:  Intro, Cappriccio for Piano and Orchestra
Pnina Saltzman, pf.
Israel Philharmonic Orchestra
Carlo Maria Giulini, cond.
Dec 12, 1960


14: Rhapsody for Piano and Strings
Soloist unknown
Jerusalem Symphony Orchestra
Etlinger(?) Cond.

15-17:  Piano Concerto
Amiram Rigai, Piano
Haifa SO
Haifa Symphony Orchestra ; [Winston] Dan Vogel, conductor.

All tracks from the collection of Karl Miller
Sources are Radio broadcasts, LPs, or personal recordings.
None of these, to my knowledge, have been commercially released.

http://www.mediafire.com/download.php?c7tv9l8687g8hw9


Volume 2:


18-21  Cello Concerto (1962)
Raphael Summer, Cello
BBC Symphony Orchestra
Gary Bertini, Conductor
Radio Broadcast, Date Unknown

Note-- this is from the Karl Miller collection as well, and I've already posted it to several forums.   I figured I would re-include it in this release so that  we would have a better collection.

The remainder of these audio tracks come from non-commercial postings of performances on Youtube.  I've offered what information I can.

22: Three Songs without Words
Flutist Jonathan Brahms and harpist Cynthia Price, the Da Camera Duo, perform Three Songs Without Words by Paul Ben-Haim (1897 - 1984) in a live concert at the MIT Chapel on January 13, 1983.

1. Arioso - Molto moderato
2. Ballade - Allegretto
3. Sephardic Song - Largamente, rubato e molto appasionato

Posted on YouTube by Jonathon Brahms

23  Improvisation and Dance:
Diego Gabete Violín
Yunhee Choi Piano
St Gabriel's, Pimlico
london, UK
Posted on Youtube by kikalis100

24. Fanfare for Israel
Polish Radio Symphony Orchestra
Conductor: Amos Talmon
May 2008
Posted on Youtube by: Amos


25.  Music for  Cello 3
Paul Ben-Haim, MUSIC FOR CELLO No. 3

Live recorded in concert, 19.02.2011

FIONA POLLAK, Orgel
MICHAEL CROITORU-WEISSMAN, Cello

Posted on Youtube by MICHAEL CROITORU-WEISSMAN

26: 3 songs without Words
On the Sax, - ANDRE TSIRLIN
Posted on Youtube  by Shali Boharon
Other details in Hebrew…

http://www.mediafire.com/download.php?6n0mpmxow5lkdcx
.

Music of Juan Jose Castro


From the collection of Karl Miller


1.  Cry of the Sierras
2.  Outro
(1947)
New York Philharmonic
Zubin Mehta, conductor
(5 Oct 1982)

3-6 Piano Concerto (1941)
Jesus Maria Sanroma, Piano
Mexican National SO, Herrera de la Fuente, Cond.

7. Corales criollos No. 3
8. Outro.

New York Philharmonic; Ernest Ansermet, Cond
Mar 23, 1958

9-12: Violin Concerto (1965)
Georg Maench, Violin
Buffalo Philharmonic Orchestra, Lukas Foss, Cond.

All recordings are sourced from personal recordings or broadcasts.  To the best of my knowledge, none of these has been released in digital form.


Wikipedia bio

Juan José Castro (March 7, 1895 – September 3, 1968) was an Argentine composer and conductor.

Born in Avellaneda, Castro studied piano and violin under Manuel Posadas and composition under Eduarno Fornarini, in Buenos Aires. In the 1920s he was awarded the Europa Prize, and then went on to study in Paris at the Schola Cantorum under Vincent d'Indy and Édouard Risler. Returning to Buenos Aires in 1925, he was named conductor of the Renacimiento Chamber Orchestra in 1928 and the Teatro Colón in 1930. From 1939 to 1943 he was a professor at the Buenos Aires Conservatory.

Castro's international career began in the 1940s. In 1947 he conducted the Havana Philharmonic, and the Sodre Orchestra in Uruguay in 1949. In 1952-53 he was the conductor of the Melbourne Symphony Orchestra (then known as the Victorian Symphony Orchestra) in Australia.[1] He returned to the Americas and conducted the National Symphony in Buenos Aires from 1956-1960. From 1960 to 1964, he was director of the Conservatory of Music of Puerto Rico.
Castro's brothers, José María and Washington, were also both composers. Juan José Castro married the daughter of the composer Julián Aguirre. He died in Buenos Aires in 1968, aged 73.




There is also a bio here, that I won't reproduce. 
http://ostinato.tripod.com/castro.html

Music of Juan Jose Castro


From the collection of Karl Miller


1.  Cry of the Sierras
2.  Outro
(1947)
New York Philharmonic
Zubin Mehta, conductor
(5 Oct 1982)

3-6 Piano Concerto (1941)
Jesus Maria Sanroma, Piano
Mexican National SO, Herrera de la Fuente, Cond.

7. Corales criollos No. 3
8. Outro.

New York Philharmonic; Ernest Ansermet, Cond
Mar 23, 1958

9-12: Violin Concerto (1965)
Georg Maench, Violin
Buffalo Philharmonic Orchestra, Lukas Foss, Cond.

All recordings are sourced from personal recordings or broadcasts.  To the best of my knowledge, none of these has been released in digital form.
http://www.mediafire.com/download.php?1qvwjdkevvimeo4

Music of Adolf Bush


From the collection of Karl Miller

Note: Busch was born in Germany, and fled the fascist government, and ended up in the US.  Therefore I am posting him here.

1. Psalm No 6 for Chorus and Orchestra
Temple University Chorus, Robert Page Cond.
Philadelphia Orchestra
Eugene Ormandy, conductor
April 27, 1958.
Personal recording, not commercially released.

2. Intro
3.  Violin Concerto
Goffried Schneider, violin
Philharmonica Hungarica
Werner Andreas Albert, conductor
Radio broadcast.


Tilly Porter has written a two volume biography of Busch, as weill as the liner notes for a CD compilation of his work that you can view here:
http://www.eclassical.com/shop/art69/SYMP1109.pdf-277322.pdf

Wikipedia Bio:

Adolf Busch

 
 

Adolf Georg Wilhelm Busch (8 August 1891 – 9 June 1952) was a German-born violinist and composer.

Life and career
Busch was born in Siegen in Westphalia. He studied at the Cologne Conservatory with Willy Hess and Bram Eldering. His composition teacher was Fritz Steinbach but he also learned much from his future father-in-law Hugo Grüters in Bonn.

In 1912, Busch founded the Vienna Konzertverein Quartet, consisting of the principals from the Konzertverein orchestra, which made its debut at the 1913 Salzburg Festival. After World War I, he founded the Busch Quartet, which from the 1920–21 season included Gösta Andreasson, violin, Karl Doktor, viola, and Paul Grümmer, cello. The quartet was in existence with varying personnel until 1951.

The additional member of the circle was Rudolf Serkin, who became Busch's duo partner at 18 and eventually married Busch's daughter, Irene. The Busch Quartet and Serkin became the nucleus of the Busch Chamber Players, a forerunner of modern chamber orchestras.

In 1927, with the rise of Adolf Hitler, Busch decided he could not in good conscience stay in Germany, so he emigrated to Basel, Switzerland. (Busch was not Jewish and was popular in Germany, but firmly opposed Nazism from the beginning.) On 1 April 1933 he repudiated Germany altogether and in 1938 he boycotted Italy. On the outbreak of World War II, Busch emigrated from Basel to the United States, where he eventually settled in Vermont. There, he was one of the founders with Rudolf Serkin of the Marlboro Music School and Festival.

The Busch Quartet was particularly admired for its interpretations of Brahms, Schubert, and above all Beethoven. It made a series of recordings in the 1930s that included many of these composers' works for string quartet. In 1941, it set down three Beethoven quartets that it had not previously recorded, including Opus 130. The Busch Quartet never recorded the Grosse Fuge, Opus 133; an arrangement was recorded by the Busch Chamber Players, with Busch leading from the first violin desk.

Busch was a great soloist, as well as a chamber musician, and live recordings exist of him playing the Beethoven, Brahms, Dvorák and Busoni Concertos, as well as the Brahms Double Concerto. In the studio he recorded concertos and chamber orchestra performances of Bach and Mozart, and of the Concerti grossi, op.6 by Handel; his recordings of Bach's Brandenburg Concertos brought them to prominence[1] after many years of relative obscurity. He had a highly individual tone and great technique. Among his students were Stefi Geyer, Erica Morini and Yehudi Menuhin.

As a composer, Busch was influenced by Max Reger. He was among the first to compose a Concerto for Orchestra, in 1929. A number of his compositions have been recorded, including the Violin Concerto (A minor, opus 20, published 1922),[2] String Sextet (G major, opus 40), Quintet for Saxophone and String Quartet, and several large scale works for organ. Regarding the latter, Busch once remarked that if he could come back after his death he would like to return as an organist.

He was the son of the luthier Wilhelm Busch; brother of the conductor Fritz Busch, the cellist Hermann Busch, the pianist Heinrich Busch and the actor Willi Busch, and grandfather of the pianist Peter Serkin. An exhaustive two-volume biography of Busch by Tully Potter was published in 2010 by Toccata Press [3]

Music of Adolf Bush


From the collection of Karl Miller

Note: Busch was born in Germany, and fled the fascist government, and ended up in the US.  Therefore I am posting him here.

1. Psalm No 6 for Chorus and Orchestra
Temple University Chorus, Robert Page Cond.
Philadelphia Orchestra
Eugene Ormandy, conductor
April 27, 1958.
Personal recording, not commercially released.

2. Intro
3.  Violin Concerto
Goffried Schneider, violin
Philharmonica Hungarica
Werner Andreas Albert, conductor
Radio broadcast.

http://www.mediafire.com/download.php?5kuvzju18kax3za

Samuel Barber:  Symphony # 2

Minnesota Orchestra
Marin Alsop, Director
April 16, 1992

From the collection of Karl Miller
Personal recording of live performance.  Not commercially released to my knowledge.

 The second Symphony was probably one of the more controversial works in the Barber Catalog, as the composer himself wanted to withdraw the work from publication. 

Wikipedia Entry

Symphony No. 2 (Samuel Barber)

Symphony No. 2, op. 19 is a three-movement work for orchestra by American composer Samuel Barber. The 25-minute work was originally written in 1944. The work underwent many revisions and was finally published in 1950. The original manuscript was withdrawn by Barber in 1964. He ordered that G. Schirmer destroy the original manuscript and all scores in their library. The work remained unpublished for many years until 1984 when a set of parts turned up in a warehouse in England. Renewed interest in Barber's work led to a 1990 reprint of the 1950 edition.
•   
History
Composition
Samuel Barber began his composition career at the age of seven. He was accepted in the presitgious Curtis Institute of Music at age 14. He received critical acclaim for his early compositions including The School for Scandal and Adagio for Strings. His early success led to a commission from the United States Air Force in 1943 to write a "symphonic work about flyers". The request came soon after he joined the United States Army in 1942. Barber spent time at a U.S. Air Force base so that he could take part in flight training and battle simulations.[1] He was given four months to write the piece with the understanding that the army would receive all of the royalties forever.[2]

General Barton K. Yount approached Samuel Barber about the commission and asked him to include "modern devices" in the composition. Barber honored this request by using an electronic tone-generator built by Bell Telephone Laboratories in the second movement. This device was intended to represent the sound of a radio beam used to guide night flyers. The symphony was revised in 1947 to replace the electronic tone-generator with an E-flat clarinet.[3]

Premiere
Symphony No. 2 was premiered on March 3, 1944, by the Boston Symphony Orchestra. Serge Koussevitzky conducted the premiere performance at Symphony Hall in Boston, MA.[4]

Revisions
Samuel Barber withdrew the symphony in 1964 and ordered the destruction of the score and parts. His explanation implied to some that his piece was war propaganda. He went on to say, "Times of cataclysm are rarely conducive to the creation of good music, especially when the composer tries to say too much. But the lyrical voice, expressing the dilemma of the individual, may still be of reverence." Barber initially thought that the symphony was one of his finest works. However, after twenty years with infrequent performances, he decided that the symphony was, in his words, "not a good work".[5]

A set of orchestral parts that somehow escaped destruction were found in an English G. Schirmer warehouse in 1984. The parts were returned to New York where they were used for a recording by the New Zealand Symphony Orchestra with Andrew Schenck conducting.[6] A renewed interest in the music of Samuel Barber led to a re-release of Barber's revised second symphony in 1990.[7] Samuel Barber also used material from the second movement of Symphony No. 2 to create the tone poem, Night Flight (1964). The single movement work incorporated themes from the second movement of Symphony No. 2, his opera, Anthony and Cleopatra (1966), and his orchestral work, Fadograph of a Yestern Scene (1971).[8]

Reception
The original release of Barber's Symphony No. 2 was widely criticized for various reasons. Several critics felt that the work was little more than war time propaganda. Many people complained about the inclusion of the electronic tone-generator in a symphonic work. Despite much criticism, the work also received many positive reviews. The work was generally viewed as Barber's most ambitious and contemporary work.[9] There was a great sense of tension and energy in the work that was palpable to audiences.[10]

Analysis
The thematic material of Symphony No. 2 is designed to emulate the sensation of flying. Barber was very clear that he did not view the symphony as program music.[11] However, in his program notes he mentions that the first movement was meant to capture the excitement of flying while the second movement was inspired by his night flights. The final movement begins with very fast string passages with no barlines to express the sensation of flight.[12] Samuel Barber uses tension and release throughout to create a greater sense of energy. His use of ostinatos, polytonality,[13] dissonance, and angular lines create a work that can be described as one of Barber's most progressive works.[14] Barber would later revise the work and state that the symphony has no programmatic intentions.[11]

Movement I
The first movement is in simple triple time and marked allegro ma non troppo. This movement, in sonata form, is the longest movement of the symphony lasting over twelve minutes. The movement opens with aggressive woodwind chords in seconds that move at the interval of a seventh. Then, the strings enter playing the initial theme that is based on the opening chords. Next, a second theme, based around sixteenth notes, leads into a lyrical theme from the oboe, which closes the exposition. The development begins with a contrapuntal passage that leads into a full orchestra statement based on the opening motif. The percussion section is used throughout to create diminution and augmentation of the theme.[15]

Movement II
The second movement is in 5/4 time and marked andante, un poco mosso. The slow movement features solos by the english horn, flute, and E-flat clarinet. The piece, which tries to emulate a flier at night, is based on a slow ostinato 5/4 rhythm that is first played by the muted cellos and basses. The english horn enters over the accompaniment to perform a "lonely" melody in 4/4 time.[12] The juxtaposition of time signatures creates an oscillating rhythmic counterpoint that helps propel the movement forward. The second movement is the shortest movement in the work, lasting around seven minutes.[15] The work was later revised and edited to stand alone as Night Flight, a tone poem for orchestra.[16]

Movement III
The third movement is in fast triple time and marked presto, senza battuta. The third movement is the most technical movement of the entire symphony. The final movement begins with a spiral figure for the strings in free rhythm that is interrupted by the brass section. This leads to a set of variations and a short fugue. The spiral section returns in the brass and also in the coda, which brings the work to an exciting finish. The final movement lasts approximately nine minutes.[17]

Notable recordings
Barber's Symphony No. 2 has been recorded by over a dozen orchestras. A 1951 recording of Symphony No. 2 is available by the New Symphony Orchestra with Samuel Barber conducting. The recording was released by Pavilion Records in 2001.[18] The original recording, performed by the Boston Symphony Orchestra, is available in Washington, D.C., at the Library of Congress.[19]

Samuel Barber:  Symphony # 2

Minnesota Orchestra
Marin Alsop, Director
April 16, 1992

From the collection of Karl Miller
Personal recording of live performance.  Not commercially released to my knowledge.

 


http://www.mediafire.com/download.php?4aczf6kysoo8eaz

William Bolcom:Concerto Grosso for Saxophone Quartet and Orchestra


From the collection of Karl Miller

1. Intro
2-5: Concerto Grosso for Saxophone Quartet and Orchestra
6. Outro.

World Premiere
Detroit Symphony
Prism Saxophone Quartet
Jahja Ling, Conductor
2001
Radio Broadcast

Announcement of  Commission by the Prism quartet

PRISM is proud to announce the commissioning of a multi-movement Concerto Grosso for saxophone quartet and orchestra by the Pulitzer Prize-winning composer William Bolcom. The work was composed in 2000 season and given its first performances during the 2000-2001 season by the PRISM Quartet in co-premieres with a consortium of orchestras, including the Detroit and Dallas Symphony Orchestras.

The commissioning of this concerto sets a historical precedent as among the first works of its kind by a major American composer. As such, it will hold a significant place in the contemporary orchestral music literature by demonstrating the beauty and breadth of the saxophone's expressive capabilities.

That William Bolcom's compositions are frequently recorded and performed by the world's leading musical institutions is testimony to his stature as a living "national treasure." His work with American vernacular styles and in theatrical modes has been a strong impulse in his music making, both as a composer and a performer. As he explains, “My explorations in all sorts of music from America’s past have been to learn the roots of our musical language, so that I can build from them.” A student of Darius Milhaud and Oliver Messiaen, Mr. Bolcom has had a number of honors bestowed upon him, including the Pulitzer Prize for Music, two Koussevitzky Foundation Awards, two Guggenheim Fellowships, several Rockefeller Foundation Awards and NEA Grants, the Marc Blitzstein Award from the Academy of Arts and Letters, the Michigan Council for the Arts Award, and the Governor's Arts Award from the State of Michigan.

In recent years, Bolcom has been commissioned by many prestigious performing organizations, including the New York Philharmonic, the Philadelphia Orchestra, the St. Louis Symphony, the Vienna Philharmonic, and the Orpheus Ensemble, among others. These have included Lyric Concerto for James Galway and the St. Louis Symphony, McTeague for the Lyric Opera of Chicago, Fifth Symphony for the Philadelphia Orchestra, Sonata for Cello and Piano for Yo-Yo Ma and Emanuel Ax, GAEA, a double piano concerto for Leon Fleisher, Gary Graffman, the Baltimore, St. Louis, and Pacific Symphonies, Piano Quartet No. 2 for the Beaux Arts Trio with clarinetist Richard Stoltzman, and Sixth Symphony for the National Symphony Orchestra. Other commissions have included the Carnegie Hall Centennial, for which he wrote a song cycle with texts by American women poets, ballet scores for the Pacific Northwest Ballet and the Murray Louis Troupe, and the commissioned work for the Tenth Van Cliburn International Piano Competition in 1997. Mr. Bolcom is Professor of Composition at the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor.


Bolcom's Note about the work:

William Bolcom:Concerto Grosso for Saxophone Quartet and Orchestra


From the collection of Karl Miller

1. Intro
2-5: Concerto Grosso for Saxophone Quartet and Orchestra
6. Outro.

World Premiere
Detroit Symphony
Jahja Ling, Conductor
2001
Radio Broadcast

http://www.mediafire.com/download.php?lq6xfjjfsrryxq3

Music of Easley Blackwood


From the collection of Karl Miller

1-3: Concerto for Oboe and Strings
Dartmouth Community Symphony(?)
Raoul Zazal, Oboe
Mario di Boniventura, Cond(?)

4-6: Concerto for Flute and Strings
Dartmouth Community Symphony(?)
Robert Willoughby , Flute  -- Note-- Robert Willoughby has verified that he was the flautist- he is 91 and still teaching. Thanks to Lani at Symphony Share!
Mario di Boniventura, Cond(?)
July 28, 1968
This performance (and maybe the previous one) may well have taken place during Summer 1968 Congregation of the Arts festival-- http://congregation-of-the-arts.wikispaces.com/Congregation+of+the+Arts+-+Summer+1968
     Thanks to Derek Katz at Symphony Share!

Both of the above are from personal recordings, and, to my knowledge, have never been commercially released.

7-9:  Concerto for Piano and Orchestra, Op. 24
Composer, Piano
Cleveland Orchestra
Louis Lane, Conductor
April 27-28, 1972
Radio broadcast.

From reading about Blackwood, I must confess that I would like to explore some of his microtonal work, which postdates these recordings.

Wikipedia Bio

Easley Blackwood, (born April 21, 1933), is a professor of music, a concert pianist, a composer of music, some using unusual tunings, and the author of books on music theory, including his research into the properties of microtonal tunings and traditional harmony.

Blackwood was born in Indianapolis, Indiana. He studied piano there and was doing solo appearances at the age of 14 with the Indianapolis Symphony Orchestra. After studies at many places (including Yale University, where he earned his Master of Arts degree) in the United States, he went to Paris to study from 1954 to 1956. His teachers include Olivier Messiaen, Paul Hindemith, and Nadia Boulanger. For forty years, from 1958 to 1997, Blackwood taught at the University of Chicago, most of the time with the title of Professor. He then became Professor Emeritus at the University. He is still teaching classes.

Blackwood's initial compositions were not particularly unconventional although in them he employed polyrhythm and wide melodic contours. This early music by Blackwood has been characterized as in an atonal yet a formally conservative style. In 1980-81 Blackwood shifted rather abruptly to a new style, releasing Twelve Microtonal Etudes for Electronic Music Media. For these pieces, he used microtonality to create unusual equal tempered musical scales. Blackwood has explored all equal temperaments from 13 through 24, including 15-ET and 19-ET.[1] Although Blackwood recorded most of these pieces with a synthesizer, his "Suite in 15-Note Equal Tuning, Op. 33" was performed live on a specially constructed guitar.[2] His compositional style moved toward a late-19th-century tonality; he has likened its harmonic syntax to Verdi, Ravel, and Franck.

As a performer at the piano, Blackwood has played diverse compositions and has promoted the music of Charles Ives, Pierre Boulez, and the Second Viennese School. In addition to his solo piano performances, Blackwood is pianist in the chamber group Chicago Pro Musica, largely comprising members of the Chicago Symphony Orchestra.

Blackwood has written a very substantial treatise on music harmony, A Practical Musician's Guide to Tonal Harmony which, "...springs from studies at the French National Conservatory from 1954-1957 with Nadia Boulanger."[3]

Blackwood is also known for his book, The Structure of Recognizable Diatonic Tunings, (ISBN 0691091293) published 1986. A number of recordings of his music have been released by Cedille Records (the label of the Chicago Classical Recording Foundation) beginning in the 1990s such as Introducing Easley Blackwood.[4]

His father, Easley Blackwood, Sr. is a noted contract bridge player and author.

Music of Easley Blackwood


From the collection of Karl Miller

1-3: Concerto for Oboe and Strings
Dartmouth Community Symphony(?)
Raoul Zazal, Oboe
Mario di Boniventura, Cond(?)

4-6: Concerto for Flute and Strings
Dartmouth Community Symphony(?)
Robert Willoughby , Flute  -- Note-- Robert Willoughby has verified that he was the flautist- he is 91.
Mario di Boniventura, Cond(?)
July 28, 1968
This performance (and maybe the previous one) may well have taken place during Summer 1968 Congregation of the Arts festival-- http://congregation-of-the-arts.wikispaces.com/Congregation+of+the+Arts+-+Summer+1968

Both of the above are from personal recordings, and, to my knowledge, have never been commercially released.

7-9:  Concerto for Piano and Orchestra, Op. 24
Composer, Piano
Cleveland Orchestra
Louis Lane, Conductor
April 27-28, 1972
Radio broadcast.

http://www.mediafire.com/download.php?d4h6dpdiah3bc2y