The Royal Philharmonic Orchestra; Arthur Bennett Lipkin, conductor
This outstanding recording is the result of dedication and untiring effort on behalf of American composers by Arthur Bennett Lipkin.
Alan Hovhaness' The Holy City was commissioned by Mr. and Mrs. Lipkin through the U. S. Committee to Further American Contemporary Music. It is one of the composer's most eerily beautiful scores, making extensive use of multiple subdivisions of the string parts, a sensitive investment in slow glissandi and the sweet-sad cantorial tones of a solo trumpet (here played by the RPO's leading trumpeter, Elgar Howarth).
Apparitions was Bernard Rogers' last composition for orchestra and one of his own favorites. It consists of six brief scenes based on Flaubert's The Temptation of St. Anthony, representing the visions and thoughts of the saint as he spent a night on the plateau. The short, atmospheric movements are titled The Desert: Sunset; Spirits of the Air; The Basilisk; Herodias; The Feast of Nebuchadnezzar; and The Desert: Sunrise.
Roy Travis writes:
"Collage For Orchestra was completed in early January, 1968. The title is intended to convey a spontaneous, quasi-improvisatory approach on the part of the composer to the formal problem of associating varied textures and materials, including fragmentary quotations from traditional West African music, and resonant twelve-tone sonorities in various fixed systems of registration suggested by the superimposition of two or more partial tone series.
Arthur Cohn's Kaddish is a symphonic evocation of the traditional prayer which is both a praise of God and a prayer for the dead. The composer writes:
"The ancient Jewish prayer, the Kaddish, has always been intoned with reserve and acquiescence. I consider it quite differently. My orchestral Kaddish is principally a depiction of protest against the unfairness of death, while understanding the requirements for its acceptance."
William Grant Still writes:
"I began to write the Festive Overture because, at various times, conductors (one of them being Sir John Barbirolli) had said to me that there was a great need for a robust, joyful American overture to serve as an opener for symphony concerts. I was well into the composition when the announcement of the Cincinnati Orchestra's contest came to my attention. I studied the rules of the contest, and found that my concept of the work fitted them, so of course I decided to finish it and enter it in the contest. It did win, and since then has been played from time to time by major orchestras."
This title, originally issued on the CRI label, is now available as a burn-on-demand CD (CD-R) or download in MP3/320, FLAC or WAV formats. CD-Rs come in a protective sleeve; no print booklet or jewel case included. Full liner notes are accessible via the link above.
Arthur Bennett Lipkin Conducts...
| MP3/320 | $7.99 | |
| FLAC | $7.99 | |
| WAV | $7.99 | |
| CD-R | $7.99 |
A *.pdf of the notes may be accessed here free of charge.
Track Listing
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The Holy City, Op. 218
Alan Hovhaness
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Apparitions: I. The Desert - Sunset
Bernard Rogers
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Apparitions: II. Spirits of the air
Bernard Rogers
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Apparitions: III. The Basilisk
Bernard Rogers
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Apparitions: IV. Herodias
Bernard Rogers
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Apparitions: V. The Feast of Nebuchadnezzar
Bernard Rogers
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Apparitions: VI. The Desert - Sunrise
Bernard Rogers
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Collage for Orchestra
Roy Travis
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Kaddish for Orchestra
Arthur Cohn
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Festive Overture
William Grant Still
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