Two operas — The Devil and Daniel Webster and The Ballad of Baby Doe, the latter especially — through their enthusiastic reception by public and press, brought Douglas Moore to the front of the American creative scene in its developing preoccupation for an indigenous lyric theatre.
The vital admixture of musical humanism, enlightened conservatism and masterful craft that make The Ballad of Baby Doe a landmark in our discovery of the nature of our serious, lyric theatre, are abundant in Douglas Moore’s Symphony in A Major, which was composed in 1945. The symphony, a four movement work of modest length, is dedicated to the memory of Stephen Vincent Benet—whose work provided the literary substance for Dr. Moore’s The Devil and Daniel Webster.
The A Major Symphony is, in its course, warmed by stylistic reference to folk music that is refreshingly free of opportunism; animated by a jazz connotation that is free of nineteen-twenties chi-chi. The music is, at the same time, unharrassed by harmonic “vogue” or the attempt to let us in on what is—or, in 1945, was—the “latest thing.”
Julia Perry’s Stabat Mater, composed in 1951 and dedicated to the composer’s mother, was the piece that launched her career; it has since been widely performed in both Europe and the United States. Composed for contralto voice and string orchestra, after the Latin poem by Jacopone da Todi in a translation by the composer, Stabat Mater, according to its composer, “consists of three characters— Jesus, Mary and the spectator. In the first half of the drama the spectator stands apart regarding the awesome sight. In the second half, wishing to share the burden, he expresses his desire in the words “fac me cruce custodire.”
The Stabat Mater is divided into ten sections. The vocal conception, although dramatic onto quasi- operatic in conception, is grateful, properly lyrical and quite as stunning as the wide performance and legendary fame of the work itself.
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.
Douglas Moore: Symphony in A/Julia Perry: Stabat Mater
| 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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Symphony in A: I. Andante con moto; Allegro giusto
Douglas Moore
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Symphony in A: II. Andante quieto simplice
Douglas Moore
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Symphony in A: III. Allegretto
Douglas Moore
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Symphony in A: IV. Allegro con spirito
Douglas Moore
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Stabat Mater
Julia Perry
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Buy
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