Gould: American Symphonette / Concerto for Orchestra / etc

"Morton Gould (1913-1996) had a long and productive career as composer and conductor and his works and recordings remain very popular today. Born in Queen's, New York, Gould wrote much music unmistakeably Americana as evidenced by the collection of pieces on this fine new recording from Albany.

The works on display here date from the decade from the mid-1930s to mid-1940s and the faster movements exude both youthful exuberance and a mature use of orchestral forces. The CD ends with the earliest, "Chorale and Fugue in Jazz", written by the 21-year-old Gould in 1934. Orchestrated to include a couple of pianos as Gould and Shefter were the two piano act for NBC, the colours produced sparkle in this quite substantial piece of writing. Stokowski gave the première in Philadelphia in early1936, making substantial cuts, but for this recording the work appears in its original form for the first time.

The American Symphonettes Nos. 2 and 3 followed in quick succession in 1938, by which time Gould had been working for Mutual Broadcasting. No.1 seems to be rather neglected, and No. 4, from 1941, is better known as the Latin-American Symphonette and much loved. However, it was No. 2 which really grabbed listeners with its toe-tapping rhythms; the movements' descriptions tell it how it is - "with vigor and bounce", "racy", "bright tempo" and so on. David Alan Miller and the Albany Symphony have just that knack of making drawing out the rhythms and keeping the tempo, and the wind and brass make suitably period noises. The orchestra does dirty play with consummate ease! While the Troy Savings Bank hall has excellent acoustics, the strings here can sound smaller in number and tone than ideal in this space, but the performances are nothing less than punchy.

The Second War was well under way for the première of "Interplay", a quarter-hour piano concerto named "American Concertette No. 1" (No. 2 is for viola and winds). Why "Interplay"? The music was used for a Jerome Robbins ballet by that name, and it stuck. First performed by José Iturbi at the piano and Gould on the podium in August 1943, the ballet appeared in 1945, the music largely upbeat and confident in mood as a reaction to difficult times.

The twenty minute "Concerto for Orchestra" appeared in 1944, predating that of Bartok. In three movements, the outer are quick with "drive and vigor" and "gusto" while the middle of the three is a slow and stately blues. Written for the Cleveland Orchestra, the piece was first played in February 1945 under Vladimir Golschmann who, one hopes, revelled in the demanding rhythms, especially of the finale.

Albany has done Morton Gould proud, this issue being the latest in a steady release of issues devoted to his music, and the sound, from a regular CD, is very good."
(AudAud.com)