Chadwick: Symphony No.2/Symphonic Sketches

On this CD:

1. Symphony No. 2 in B flat major, Op. 21
Composed by George Whitefield Chadwick
Performed by Detroit Symphony Orchestra
Conducted by Neeme Jarvi

2. Symphonic Sketches for orchestra
Composed by George Whitefield Chadwick
Performed by Detroit Symphony Orchestra
Conducted by Neeme Jarvi

Chadwick: Symphony No.2/Symphonic Sketches, Music, George Whitefield Chadwick, Neeme Järvi, Detroit Symphony Orchestra, Classical, Classical Composers, Orchestral, Orchestral & Symphonic, Romantic Orchestral Music, Romantic Symphony, Symphonic

Chadwick: Symphony No. 2; Symphonic Sketches
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A Minor Master Is Finally Getting His Due

Fine 19th-Century Romantic American Orchestral Works

Chadwick: Symphony No. 2; Symphonic Sketches

Manufacturer: Naxos American
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

Romantic | Symphonies | Forms & Genres | Classical | Styles | Music
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General | Classical | Styles | Music
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Grofe: Death Valley Suite

ASIN: B0007XHL1Q
Release Date: 2005-04-19

Tracks:

I. Andante Non Troppo
II. Allegretto Scherzando
III. Largo E Maestoso
IV. Allegro Non Troppo
Jubilee
Noel
Hobgoblin
A Vagrom Ballad

Customer Reviews:

A Minor Master Is Finally Getting His Due.......2005-07-26

It's good to see the music of George Whitfield Chadwick given its due increasingly. Naxos is doing its bit, with a fine recording of Chadwick tone poems from Kenneth Schermerhorn and the Nashville Symphony already in the stable. This new recording of the Second Symphony and Symphonic Sketches is almost as good, being let down by a rather distant recording that doesn't let brass and percussion ring through as they should. That said, the performance itself is first-rate. Kuchar and his band have shown their mettle in other American classics and near-classics, and I'd say they approach this music with as idiomatically as the Nashville orchestra does. But then again, the symphony sounds entirely European--kind of like Mendelssohn might have sounded if he had lived into the 1880s. Actually, the symphony sounds very much like music of a Mendelssohn devotee, Niels Gade. I wonder if Chadwick knew his music? No matter, this is charming, very appealing music in its own right, well argued, well put together and best of all, with memorable tunes.

The notes to this recording say that Symphonic Sketches (a symphony in all but name) is Chadwick's orchestral masterpiece. Some might not agree, but one thing I will say: the first movement, "Jubilee," which is often heard in concert on its own, is probably the finest orchestral movement Chadwick wrote, maybe even the finest written by an American in the 19th century. It is Chadwick's "Carnival Overture," and like Dvorak's (which Chadwick must have known), it is basically festive in nature, but the rambunctiousness is balanced by moments of poignant nostalgia. "Jubilee" is in the form of a rondo, one of the recurring episodes providing the deep nostalgic strain that seems to look ahead to the music of the American stage--at least, it reminds me of Jerome Kern and his ilk. Thus it is very American music. In his thematic material at least, Chadwick cuts himself off from his European musical roots, and so Symphonic Sketches is important beyond its artistic merits alone. This is evident as well in Chadwick's "scherzo," entitled "Hobgoblin," and in his finale, which mimics the actions of a vaudevillian playing a stage hobo. Both these movements provide large slices of Americana. And both are entertaining, but it is "Jubilee" that is Chadwick's finest achievement.

Certainly, I wish the recording had more presence and bite, but the performances are fine ones, and at Naxos' price, you can't go wrong.

Fine 19th-Century Romantic American Orchestral Works.......2005-04-22

George Whitefield Chadwick (1854-1931) occupies a place in the history of American composition roughly similar to that of Stanford or Parry in Britain--honored in their time, teachers of composers whose acclaim eclipsed their own, and finally recovering some of their acclaim toward the end of the 20th century. Chadwick was a school dropout taught the basics of music by his brother. He financed his own trip to Leipzig to study under German masters, returning to the US to take up a place as one of America's most respected composers, teachers and administrators. After World War I his music dropped out of sight. The music on this issue has been recorded several other times in the past ten or fifteen years, in fine recordings conducted by Neeme Järvi and José Serebrier. The Järvi disc in particular, with the Detroit Symphony, is very good. This disc uses an orchestra from Eastern Europe and is conducted by an American of Ukrainian background, Theodore Kuchar. Good as it is, it is not nearly as suave as the Järvi set. Still, for the price it is rather a bargain; the performances are actually OK, it's just that there are marginally better recorded performances on Chandos.

The booklet writer for this Naxos disc goes on and on about how the 'Symphonic Sketches' are perhaps Chadwick's masterpiece, and indeed they are much more 'American' than the more German-tinged Second Symphony. But for my taste the Symphony is the more satisfying work. It is unfailingly euphonious, conservative even for its time (except for the Scherzo which is actually rather advanced for 1888 and seems to foreshadow the much more familiar Dukas 'Sorcerer's Apprentice' rather like some of the music of George Templeton Strong written a few years later). 'Symphonic Sketches' is more nationalistic in that it uses American rhythms and folk-like tunes. It is expertly put together, has a rather open-faced, almost bumpkin-esque quality, and is charming in effect.

I think the prospective buyer's choice is, rather, whether to spend full price for what I believe is a somewhat better set of performances or, because the music is unfamiliar and thus the buyer is taking a chance with it, to go for this super-budget CD. I think either choice is acceptable.

Scott Morrison

Howard Hanson Conducts American Masterworks

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An American sampler
Hanson's MLP Gems Are Back!

Howard Hanson Conducts American Masterworks

Manufacturer: Philips
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

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Howard Hanson Conducts Howard Hanson

ASIN: B00035VV82
Release Date: 2004-11-09

Customer Reviews:

An American sampler.......2006-06-21

My wife and I often eat at a local restaurant that offers what it calls an "American sampler" of shishkabob, Hawaiian chicken and Louisiana Gulf shrimp. I liken that plate to this collection by the Eastman-Rochester Orchestra and longtime conductor-director Howard Hanson. Based on the quality of much of this music, I think the title could more readily have been "Howard Handson Conducts An American Sampler" rather than American masterworks, for the quality of some of this music is arguable in that respect.

Hanson was not only a composer and conductor, he was a great champion of American music in the 1950s, when its profile and exposure were much less than today. Many of the compositions included in this anthology have since been recorded in DDD in the Maxos American music series. Others have been recorded on other labels in newer, sometimes better, recordings. This does nothing to diminish these recordings or to dampen the memory of Hanson and his band.

However, many of the more well known recordings in this set have been re-done either more artistically and/or in better sound since these recordings first appeared the better part of 50 years ago. In particular, Barber's Capricorn Concerto and Medea suite, Ives's Third Symphony & Three Places in New England, Piston's Incredible Flutist and Schuman's New England Triptych have all been recorded many times in the intervening years. The recordings here sometimes magnify the thin and wiry sound coming from the Eastman-Rochester Orchestra. Some are simply not very well played, either.

That said, there are still five decade old gems to be located here. Among my favorites are William Bergsma's "Gold and Senor Commandante" ballet suite, a delightful nine-movement ballet suite that is clearly meant for the concert hall and not the stage. I also enjoy Morton Gould's "Sprituals" and George Whitfield Chadwick's "Symphonic Sketches" that merges British stoicism with American melody-making.

Best for me is the performance of Peter Mennin's Symphony No. 5. This 1962 recording was probably the first of a Mennin symphony and it still stands up well to competition. The dramatic three movement edifice is completely engaging. Its syncopated rhythm on an ostimato E-F-G-F sharp-A-E theme in the closing movement is catchy and stays long in memory.

Another important and rarely recorded piece is Johann Friedrich Peter's "Sinfonia in G". Peter was an early American composer from the Classical period; he was born 1746 and died 1813. The sinfonia mimics the CPE Bach crossover from Baroque to Classical early symphony with modular thematic development in each of its four movements.

There are other memorable chunks of Americana on this collection and everything sound wonderful, captured in ultra-clear and well-defined three channel tapes (produced here in stereo and not SACD) from the 1950s and early 1960s. The notes are very helpful and the bookelt details the origin of each recording. There is a very high level of nostalgia evident in this grouping that adds much to its appeal.

I think this collection is best suited to people that want to recapture the nostalgia of these great old recordings. Today's DDD technology has nothing on these fine sounding CDs even though Mercury missed an opportunity to release these as three channel SACDs. Perhaps that is coming in the future?

Another group of listeners that will most appreciate this collection are people that want exposure to many American composers and don't want to pay a lot to get it. The modest list price for this five CD collection is usually reduced by 40-50 percent when purchasing used from an Amazon vendor. I bought mine for about $20, the cost of less than three new Naxos CDs. This set is certainly worth more than that. Even veteran collectors (who didn't buy the original LPs or individual CDs) will probably find something new and different here.

Hanson's MLP Gems Are Back!.......2005-06-09

Those familiar with my reviews on Amazon know of my great love for the Mercury Living Presence series. Equally great is my disgust that so many of these brilliant recordings have been deleted in the last few years! Thankfully, some of these legendary performances are resurfacing as SACD hybrids. However, they are unfortunately now being sold at full-price, despite a competing Living Stereo hybrid series on RCA/BMG being available at midline. In spite of the added expense, I hope this MLP reissue trend will continue, and maybe we'll even see a few items receiving their CD debut in this series.

These performances of American Masterwoks by Howard Hanson are in most cases definitive accounts of rarely recorded pieces by many of our country's too often neglected composers -- Barber, Chadwick, Piston, Moore, Carpenter, Rogers, MacDowell, etc. While three of these recordings continue to be available in their original CD incarnations, the remaining two discs featuring Ives and Gould have been out-of-print for some time. Now with this box set they are deservedly restored to the catalog. Even better is the fact that the 5CD box sets being reissued have been reasonably priced because they are not SACD Hybrids. This set and three others (see my reviews) have a total cost cheaper than the original single issue CDs! Once again, Mercury Living Presence lives!

Chadwick: Symphonic Sketches; MacDowell: Suite for orchestra Op42/1-5

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Hanson outshines Serebrier and Jarvi in the Chadwick
History made immediate

Chadwick: Symphonic Sketches; MacDowell: Suite for orchestra Op42/1-5

Manufacturer: Philips
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

General | Symphonies | Classical | Styles | Music

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ASIN: B0000057M9
Release Date: 1994-06-14

Tracks:

Symphonic Sketches: 1. Jubilee
Symphonic Sketches: 2. Noel
Symphonic Sketches: 3. Hobgoblin
Symphonic Sketches: 4. A Vagrom Ballad
Suite For Large Orchestra, Op. 42: 1. In A Haunted Forest
Suite For Large Orchestra, Op. 42: 2. Summer Idyll
Suite For Large Orchestra, Op. 42: 3. In October
Suite For Large Orchestra, Op. 42: 4. The Shepherdess' Song
Suite For Large Orchestra, Op. 42: 5. Forest Spirits
Sinfonia In G: 1. Presto
Sinfonia In G: 2. Polonaise
Sinfonia In G: 3. Menuet (Vivace)
Sinfonia In G: 4. Presto

Amazon.com

This is a wonderful reissue from 1950s-vintage recordings (though the quality is such that you won't be able to tell) of the works of American composers born in the 19th century--the dinosaurs of American music. Their works tend to be rooted in some of the same folk songs Charles Ives (a much younger contemporary of Chadwick and MacDowell) would later go on to butcher and twist. Curiously, while this music hadn't become particularly American yet, it certainly isn't European, either. Already these men are searching for a unique American idiom. This disc and this music are necessary for the fossil record. --Paul Cook

Customer Reviews:

Hanson outshines Serebrier and Jarvi in the Chadwick.......2007-07-07

This is a really exciting rendition of the Symphonic Sketches. I also like the "immediacy" of the sound, as compared to the symphonic "wash" and heavy reverb of both the Serebrier (Reference Recordings) and Jarvi (Chandos) readings. As an erstwhile percussionist, I continually marvel at the ERSO player's ability to play those 13 rapid-fire cymbal crashes in the middle of the Jubilee movement so perfectly!

This CD also contains the best performance of the MacDowell First Orchestral Suite, with sumptuous playing by the ERSO forces. When you hear it played this well, you almost think it's a masterpiece (that honor actually goes to MacDowell's Second Suite -- Indian -- which Hanson also recorded but way back in the mono era, so unfortunately it's not available to us on CD). When comparing Hanson's First Suite performance to the sluggish alternative found on Naxos ... there's actually no comparison at all.

The Johann Peter work is a filler item you can dispense with.

History made immediate.......2000-07-07

Hanson and his virtuoso ensemble make the most of these old works--the composers themselves would have blushed to have such effort and result showered on them.

But the music's worth it. The Chadwick is a major work, emininetly listenable, beautifully crafted, songful, funny, piquant and rich all at the same time. The McDowell suite is so beautifully played you think it is a somewhat better work than it actually is, but there's no denying its evocative atmosphere despite its concept which is somewhat dated. The Peter is more of a curiosity piece from a composer who had no pretense of being a pro...but listening to Hanson et.al., you realize the guy did a pretty good job with the material he chose.

While the presentation of the Chadwick here is not as elegant as beautiful performances of his music from Detroit, it doesn't really aim at elegance, and is perhaps why I respond to Hanson's approach more. I just solved the problem by having all of it around to enjoy...sometimes I prefer the one, sometimes the other. A little fickleness is good when enjoying great art.

Tracks:

Toccata
Two Dutch Tunes Of The Sixteenth Century: In Times Of Stress
Two Dutch Tunes Of The Sixteenth Century: See How Strong This Struggling Nation
Prld And Fugue in d
Czech Rhap
Hungarian Rhap No.6
Love Music From 'Boris Godunov'
Two Etudes: Op.2 No.1 in c#
Two Etudes: Op.8 No.12 in d#
Andalucia
Symphonic Sketches: Noel
Prld And Hula: Prld
Prld And Hula: Hula
Stars
Academic Festival Ov

Chadwick: Symphony No.2; Symphonic Sketches

Average customer rating:

An important American composer gets his due

Chadwick: Symphony No.2; Symphonic Sketches

Manufacturer: Chandos
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

General | Symphonies | Classical | Styles | Music

General | Classical | Styles | Music

Tracks:

Symphony No. 2 In B Flat Major, Op. 21: I. Andante Non Troppo - Allegro
Symphony No. 2 In B Flat Major, Op. 21: II. Allegretto Scherzando
Symphony No. 2 In B Flat Major, Op. 21: III. Largo E Maestoso - Allegro Non Troppo - Tempo Primo
Symphony No. 2 In B Flat Major, Op. 21: IV. Allegro Molto Animato
Symphonic Sketches: I. Jubilee
Symphonic Sketches: II. Noel
Symphonic Sketches: III. Hobgoblin (Scherzo Capriccioso)
Symphonic Sketches: IV. A Vagrom Ballad

Customer Reviews:

An important American composer gets his due.......2003-10-11

Chadwick is one of the important 19th century composers in American music. He was just as important as an educator as he was as a composer (one of his students was Charles Ives' teacher), but his music tends to be overlooked. Like many late-19th-century American composers (JK Paine & Edward MacDowell for example), Chadwick is labelled as a New World imitator of the German style in vogue at the time, and I suppose that is fair enough. Chadwick did study in Germany for quite some time, after all. The best thing to do is to approach his works on their own merits and not worry if they sound sufficiently "American."

On their own merits, the 2nd Symphony & the Symphonic sketches, composed about 20 years apart, hold their own as well-crafted compositions quite nicely. To me, the 2nd Symphony is reminiscent of early Dvorak & perhaps Fibich more than anything else. The Sketches, a more mature work, do not seem to reflect the influence of any particular European composer, and perhaps is the result of greater artistic maturity on the part of Chadwick.

These are very fine pieces in their own right and deserve greater attention. Jarvi has done a very nice job in giving Chadwick his due.

Music Review: