Spirit of the American Range

Last updated
Spirit of the American Range
Spirit of the American Range, Oregon Symphony.jpg
Studio album by
Oregon Symphony
ReleasedFebruary 10, 2015 (2015-02-10)
RecordedApril 13–15, 20–22, 2013; January 5, 2014
Venue Arlene Schnitzer Concert Hall, Portland, Oregon
Genre Classical
Length65:21
Label Pentatone
Producer Blanton Alspaugh
Oregon Symphony chronology
This England
(2012)		Spirit of the American Range
(2015)		 Haydn Symphonies
(2017)

Spirit of the American Range is a classical music album by the Oregon Symphony under the artistic direction of Carlos Kalmar, released by the Dutch record label Pentatone on February 10, 2015. The album was recorded at the Arlene Schnitzer Concert Hall in Portland, Oregon in April 2013 and January 2014. It contains works by three American 20th-century composers: Walter Piston's ballet suite from The Incredible Flutist , George Antheil's "A Jazz Symphony", and Aaron Copland's Symphony No. 3. The recording was the third by the orchestra under Kalmar's leadership, following the highly successful Music for a Time of War (2011) and This England (2012). Spirit of the American Range received a Grammy Award nomination for Best Orchestral Performance, and its producer, Blanton Alspaugh, was nominated for Producer of the Year, Classical.

Contents

Background and composition

The album was recorded at the Arlene Schnitzer Concert Hall. SchnitzerAtNight.jpg
The album was recorded at the Arlene Schnitzer Concert Hall.

Spirit of the American Range was released by the Dutch record label Pentatone in February 2015, following a pre-release by the Oregon Symphony on January 8. [1] The album contains compositions by three 20th-century American composers: the ballet suite from The Incredible Flutist by Walter Piston, "A Jazz Symphony" by George Antheil, and Symphony No. 3 by Aaron Copland. These works were recorded live at the Arlene Schnitzer Concert Hall in Portland, Oregon. [2] [3]

The Piston suite was recorded on April 13–15, 2013, and "A Jazz Symphony" was recorded on April 20–22, 2013, and Copland's symphony was recorded on January 5, 2014. [4] The album was the third recording by the orchestra during Carlos Kalmar's tenure, following the highly successful Music for a Time of War (2011) and This England (2012). [1] [3] Like these albums, Spirit of the American Range was recorded in hybrid multichannel (surround sound) Super Audio CD format by Soundmirror recording engineers John Newton and Blanton Alspaugh. [1] [5]

Mark Donahue served as the mixing and mastering engineer. The album's liner notes are credited to Elizabeth Schwartz with German translations by Franz Steiger; its cover photo was taken by Martha Warrington, and it features designs by Freshu. Angelina Jambrekovic served as a product manager. [4]

Job Maarse, artistic director of Pentatone, said of the album's origins:

From day one the cooperation between Pentatone and the Oregon Symphony and its Music Director Carlos Kalmar has been something magical. The quality of the orchestra and the program ideas of Carlos Kalmar attracted the attention of a large group of music lovers in and outside the U.S. During a pleasant meeting at the Chicago airport almost two years ago the idea for this new album was discussed. I believe all at the table liked it and now everybody can hear how these three pieces, although by composers with different styles, fit perfectly in one program. And of course the Copland Symphony is one of the best pieces ever written by an American composer. [1]

Kalmar said of the recording, "It is a great pleasure to share these important American works for which I have the greatest fondness and appreciation. They aren't widely performed and certainly deserve to be enjoyed by a wider public." [1] Spirit of the American Range was funded in part by the James DePreist Fund for Broadcast and Recording. [1]

Works

The recording features composer Aaron Copland's Symphony No. 3. Aaron Copland 1970.JPG
The recording features composer Aaron Copland's Symphony No. 3.

The Incredible Flutist (1938), Piston's only composition for the stage, received its premiere at Symphony Hall on May 30, 1938 by the Boston Pops under Arthur Fiedler. The performance featured work by dancer-choreographer Hans Wiener and his ballet company. The ballet is about residents of a small village becoming enchanted by a flutist affiliated with a traveling circus. [6] [7]

Antheil's "A Jazz Symphony" was composed in 1925 and premiered at Carnegie Hall on April 10, 1927. It is written for two oboes, two clarinets, one soprano saxophone, one alto saxophone, one tenor saxophone, three trumpets, three trombones, tuba, percussion, a drum set, two pianos, two banjos (one doubling guitar), strings, and solo piano. According to Antheil, the work is: "one of the very first symphonic expressions which attempted to synthesize American jazz as a legitimate symphonic expression". [8]

Copland's third symphony was composed between 1944 and September 1946, and was premiered by Serge Koussevitzky conducting the Boston Symphony Orchestra on October 18, 1946. It is written for three flutes, two piccolos, three oboes and English horn, two clarinets, E-flat clarinet, bass clarinet, two bassoons and contrabassoon, four horns, four trumpets, three trombones and tuba, timpani, two harps, celesta, piano, strings, and a variety of percussion instruments, including bass drum, tam-tam, cymbals, xylophone, glockenspiel, tenor drum, wood block, snare drum, triangle, slapstick, ratchet, anvil, claves, and tubular bells. [9] Copland said the work would "reflect the euphoric spirit of the country at the time". [10]

Broadcasts and reception

KQAC (89.9 FM, "All Classical Portland") broadcast the album on January 8, 2015 and made it available to stream on its website. [1] [3] The station offered the album as a thank-you gift to donors during a fundraising campaign. [11]

Classical Voice North America's Paul E. Robinson said the album's contents were unrelated to its title, and had "nothing whatever to do with the early days of the American West", but complimented the orchestra's performances. He praised the "excellent" flute soloist in The Incredible Flutist, called the performance of Copland's symphony "more careful than inspired", and noted the "vast dynamic range" created by the label's sound technology. [12]

Peter Dickinson of Gramophone compared Kalmar's interpretation of Symphony No. 3 to other available recordings: "Kalmar and the Oregon Symphony are impressive and create a challenge to the established choices. Kalmar is a minute shorter than Bernstein in both the opening movement and fanfare finale. Overall his interpretation is similar to Bernstein's, and the orchestra's expert handling of the work suggests that they should record more."

Furthermore, he wrote, "Engineering is excellent but individual tracks for the Piston would have been a help." [13] [14] Anthony Tommasini, music critic for The New York Times , called the recording "exciting" and said the Piston piece received a "supple, colorful performance". He complimented "A Jazz Symphony", which he said "emerges here as a savvy, audacious score", and ended his review with: "Best of all is an urgent, superbly played account of Copland's Third Symphony." [15] The Oregonian 's David Stabler praised the Oregon Symphony for recording the lesser-known works by Piston and Antheil. [3]

The album received a Grammy Award nomination for Best Orchestral Performance at the 58th Annual Grammy Awards, marking the third for Kalmar and the orchestra. [16] [17] In addition, Alspaugh was nominated for Producer of the Year, Classical. Kalmer said of the recognition, "I think this is a confirmation of the excellent quality that the orchestra is offering. In my mind, it's very important that we get nominated. Whether we get the Grammy or not has so many other components." [16] Christine Whiteside, executive director of the Oregon Symphony Association in Salem, said, "It validates the quality of the Oregon Symphony, and what a great honor it is to have a Grammy-nominated orchestra play in Salem." [18]

Track listing

  1. "Suite from The Incredible Flutist " 1 (Walter Piston) – 17:12
  2. "A Jazz Symphony" (George Antheil) – 7:07
Symphony No. 3 (Aaron Copland)
  2. "Molto Moderato, with simple expression'" – 9:55
  3. "Allegro molto" – 7:55
  4. "Andantino quasi allegretto" – 10:13
  5. "Motto deliberato (Fanfare) – Allegro risoluto" – 12:55

Track listing adapted from the album's liner notes. [4]

^Note 1 Includes: Introduction; Siesta Hours in the Marketplace and Entrance of the Vendors; Dance of the Vendors; Entrance of the Customers, Tango of the Four Daughters, Arrival of Circus and Circus March; Solo of the Flutist; Minuet: Dance of the Widow and Merchant; Spanish Waltz; Eight O'Clock Strikes; Siciliano: Dance of the Flutist and the Merchant's Daughter; Polka; Finale. [4]

Personnel

Orchestra roster

  • violin – Sarah Kwak, Peter Frajola, Maria Stanley Smith, Erin Furbee, Chien Tan, Inés Voglar Belgique, Fumino Ando, Keiko Araki, Clarisse Atcherson, Ron Blessinger, Lily Burton*, Ruby Chen, Emily Cole, Julie Coleman, Dolores D'Aigle, Eileen Deiss, Lisbeth Dreier*, Jonathan Dubay, Gregory Ewer, Daniel Ge Feng, Lynne Finch, Kathryn Gray, Shin-young Kwon, Ryan Lee, Vali Phillips, Deborah Singer, Raffaela Wahby*
  • viola – Joël Belgique, Charles Noble, Jennifer Arnold, Silu Fei, Leah Ilem, Brian Quincey, Viorel Russo, Stephen Price, Martha Warrington, Kenneth Freed^, Jin Ningning^
  • cello – Nancy Ives, Marilyn de Oliveira, Kenneth Finch, Trevor Fitzpatrick, Gayle Budd O'Grady, Timothy Scott, David Socolofsky, Heather Blackburn^
  • bass – Frank Diliberto, Edward Botsford**, Jeffrey Johnson, Kate Munagian*, Jason Schooler, Brian Johnson, David Parmeter^
  • flute – Jessica Sindell, Alicia DiDonato Paulsen, Zachariah Galatis, Molly Barth^, Sarah Tiedemann^
  • piccolo – Zachariah Galatis
  • oboe – Martin Hebert, Karen Wagner, Kyle Mustain
  • English horn – Kyle Mustain
  • clarinet – Yoshinori Nakao, Todd Kuhns, Mark Dubac, Carol Robe^
  • bass clarinet – Todd Kuhns
  • bassoon – Carin Miller Packwood, Evan Kuhlmann**, Adam Trussell
  • contrabassoon – Evan Kuhlmann, Steve Vaccchi^
  • horn – John Cox, Joseph Berger, Graham Kingsbury, Mary Grant, Alicia Waite
  • trumpet – Jeffrey Work, David Bamonte, Micah Wilkinson, Charles Butler^, Steve Conrow^
  • trombone – Aaron LaVere, Robert Taylor, Charles Reneau
  • bass trombone – Charles Reneau
  • tuba – JáTtik Clark
  • timpani – Jonathan Greeney
  • percussion – Niel DePonte, Sergio Carreno, Michael Roberts, Brian Gardiner^, Gordon Rencher^, Chris Whyte^
  • harp – Jennifer Craig, Jenny Lindner^
  • keyboard – Yoko Greeney^, Carol Rich^

Credits adapted from the album's liner notes. [4]

"*" denotes acting musicians; "**" denotes principals on Copland; "^" denotes guest musicians.

See also

Related Research Articles

The 9th Annual Grammy Awards were held on March 2, 1967, at Chicago, Los Angeles, Nashville and New York. They recognized accomplishments of musicians for the year 1966. The 9th Grammy Awards is notable for not presenting the Grammy Award for Best New Artist. Frank Sinatra won 5 awards.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Walter Piston</span> American composer (1894–1976)

Walter Hamor Piston, Jr., was an American composer of classical music, music theorist, and professor of music at Harvard University.

Symphony No. 3 was Aaron Copland's final symphony. It was written between 1944 and 1946, and its first performance took place on October 18, 1946 with the Boston Symphony Orchestra performing under Serge Koussevitzky. If the early Dance Symphony is included in the count, it is actually Copland's fourth symphony.

Lincoln Portrait is a classical orchestral work written by the American composer Aaron Copland. The work involves a full orchestra, with particular emphasis on the brass section at climactic moments. The work is narrated with the reading of excerpts of Abraham Lincoln's great documents, including the Gettysburg Address. An orchestra usually invites a prominent person to be the narrator.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Paquito D'Rivera</span> Cuban saxophonist, clarinetist and composer

Francisco de Jesús Rivera Figueras, known as Paquito D'Rivera, is a Cuban-American alto saxophonist, clarinetist and composer. He was a member of the Cuban songo band Irakere and, since the 1980s, he has established himself as a bandleader in the United States. His smooth saxophone tone and his frequent combination of Latin jazz and classical music have become his trademarks.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Oregon Symphony</span> Orchestra based in Portland, Oregon, U.S.

The Oregon Symphony is an American symphony orchestra based in Portland, Oregon, United States. Founded as the 'Portland Symphony Society' in 1896, it is the sixth oldest orchestra in the United States, and oldest in the Western United States. Its home venue is the Arlene Schnitzer Concert Hall in downtown Portland's Cultural District.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">David Shifrin</span> American classical clarinetist (born 1950)

David Shifrin is an American classical clarinetist and artistic director.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">David Krakauer (musician)</span> American musician

David Krakauer is an American clarinetist who performs klezmer, jazz, classical music, and avant-garde improvisation.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Carlos Kalmar</span> Uruguayan conductor (born 1958)

Carlos Kalmar is a Uruguayan conductor.

The Cincinnati Pops Orchestra is a pops orchestra based in Cincinnati, Ohio, United States, founded in 1977 out of the Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra. Its members are also the members of the Cincinnati Symphony, and the Pops is managed by the same administration. Erich Kunzel, the Pops' founding conductor, continued to lead the Pops until his death in 2009.

Sean Hickey is an American composer and record label executive, born in 1970 in Detroit, Michigan, and currently based in New York. In 2022, he was appointed Managing Director of Pentatone.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ransom Wilson</span> American flutist and conductor (born 1951)

Ransom Wilson is an American flutist, conductor, and educator.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">55th Annual Grammy Awards</span> Event held on February 10, 2013

The 55th Annual Grammy Awards were held on February 10, 2013, at the Staples Center in Los Angeles honoring the best in music for the recording year beginning October 1, 2011 through September 30, 2012. The show was broadcast on CBS at 8 p.m. ET/PT and was hosted for the second time by LL Cool J. The "Pre-Telecast Ceremony" was streamed live from LA's Nokia Theater at the official Grammy website. Nominations were announced on December 5, 2012, on prime-time television as part of "The GRAMMY Nominations Concert Live! – Countdown to Music's Biggest Night", a one-hour special co-hosted by LL Cool J & Taylor Swift and broadcast live on CBS from the Bridgestone Arena in Nashville, Tennessee. Fun, Frank Ocean, Mumford & Sons, Jay-Z, Kanye West and Dan Auerbach received the most nominations with six each.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Pentatone (record label)</span> International classical music record label

Pentatone is an international classical music label located in Baarn, Netherlands.

Music for a Time of War is a 2011 concert program and subsequent album by the Oregon Symphony under the artistic direction of Carlos Kalmar. The program consists of four compositions inspired by war: Charles Ives'The Unanswered Question (1906), John Adams'The Wound-Dresser (1989), Benjamin Britten's Sinfonia da Requiem (1940) and Ralph Vaughan Williams' Symphony No. 4 (1935). The program was performed on May 7, 2011, at the Arlene Schnitzer Concert Hall in Portland, Oregon, and again the following day. Both concerts were recorded for album release. On May 12, the Oregon Symphony repeated the program at the inaugural Spring for Music Festival, at Carnegie Hall. The performance was broadcast live by KQAC and WQXR-FM, the classical radio stations serving Portland and the New York City metropolitan area, respectively. The concerts marked the Oregon Symphony's first performances of The Wound-Dresser as well as guest baritone Sanford Sylvan's debut with the company.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Oregon Symphony discography</span>

The Oregon Symphony, based in Portland, Oregon, was founded in 1896 as the Portland Symphony Society; it is the sixth oldest orchestra in the United States, and claims to be one of the largest arts organizations in the Pacific Northwest. The Symphony has released nineteen studio albums and one compilation album through the record labels Delos, Koch International Classics, Albany and PentaTone Classics. The first recording, Bravura (1987), was released under the artistic leadership of James DePreist. It received favorable reviews and was the first of three released through Delos. The next two recordings were collections of compositions by Sergei Rachmaninoff and Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky.

<i>This England</i> (album) 2012 album by the Oregon Symphony

This England is a classical music album by the Oregon Symphony under the artistic direction of Carlos Kalmar, released by Dutch record label PentaTone Classics in November 2012. The album was recorded at the Arlene Schnitzer Concert Hall in Portland, Oregon, at five performances in February and May 2012. It contains works by three English 20th-century composers: Edward Elgar's Cockaigne , Ralph Vaughan Williams' Symphony No. 5, and "Four Sea Interludes" and "Passacaglia" from Benjamin Britten's opera Peter Grimes. The recording was the orchestra's second under Kalmar's leadership, following Music for a Time of War (2011), which also included works by Britten and Vaughan Williams. This England received positive critical reception but failed to chart.

<i>Orchestral Works by Tomas Svoboda</i> 2003 album by the Oregon Symphony

Orchestral Works by Tomas Svoboda is a classical music album by the Oregon Symphony under the artistic direction of James DePreist, released by the record label Albany in 2003. The album was recorded at the Arlene Schnitzer Concert Hall in Portland, Oregon during three performances in January and June 2000. It contains three works by Tomáš Svoboda, a Czech-American composer who taught at Portland State University for more than 25 years: Overture of the Season, Op. 89; Concerto for Marimba and Orchestra, Op. 148; and Symphony No. 1, Op. 20. The album's executive producers were Peter Kermani, Susan Bush, and Mark B. Rulison; Blanton Alspaugh served as the recording producer.

<i>Haydn Symphonies</i> (album) Album by the Oregon Symphony

Haydn Symphonies is an album recorded by the Oregon Symphony under the direction of Carlos Kalmar, released by Pentatone on April 7, 2017. The albums was recorded at Portland, Oregon's Arlene Schnitzer Concert Hall in 2013, and features three symphonies by Joseph Haydn: Symphony No. 53 in D Major, Symphony No. 64 in A Major, and Symphony No. 96 in D Major.

<i>Aspects of America</i> 2018 studio album by Oregon Symphony

Aspects of America is a classical music album recorded by the Oregon Symphony under the direction of Carlos Kalmar, released by Pentatone on September 7, 2018. Featured works include: Magiya by Sean Shepherd, Microsymph by Sebastian Currier, Supplica by Christopher Rouse, Aspects of an Elephant by Kenji Bunch, and Souvenirs by Samuel Barber.

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 "Symphony's Latest CD Ready for January Pre-Release". Oregon Symphony. January 5, 2015. Archived from the original on 24 December 2015. Retrieved April 11, 2015.
  2. ↑ "Carlos Kalmar / Oregon Symphony: Spirit of the American Range". AllMusic . All Media Network. Archived from the original on 24 December 2015. Retrieved April 11, 2015.
  3. 1 2 3 4 Stabler, David (January 6, 2015). "Oregon Symphony releases latest CD: 'Spirit of the American Range'". The Oregonian . Portland, Oregon: Advance Publications. Archived from the original on May 18, 2015. Retrieved April 11, 2015.
  4. 1 2 3 4 5 Spirit of the American Range (Media notes). Oregon Symphony. 2015.{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
  5. ↑ Vondersmith, Jason (January 15, 2015). "Bits & Pieces: Book awards". Portland Tribune . Pamplin Media Group. Archived from the original on January 21, 2015. Retrieved April 12, 2015.
  6. ↑ Viant, Kenneth C. "The Incredible Flutist Suite". Canton Symphony Orchestra. Archived from the original on December 22, 2015. Retrieved December 21, 2015.
  7. ↑ Tawa, Nicholas (March 26, 2009). The Great American Symphony: Music, the Depression, and War . Indiana University Press. p.  123. ISBN   978-0253002877 . Retrieved December 21, 2015.
  8. ↑ Mugmon, Matthew. "George Antheil, A Jazz Symphony". American Symphony Orchestra. Archived from the original on December 22, 2015. Retrieved December 21, 2015.
  9. ↑ Huscher, Phillip. "Program Notes" (PDF). Chicago Symphony Orchestra. p. 1. Archived (PDF) from the original on December 22, 2015. Retrieved December 21, 2015.
  10. ↑ Service, Tom (April 22, 2014). "Symphony guide: Copland's Third". The Guardian . Archived from the original on December 22, 2015. Retrieved December 21, 2015.
  11. ↑ "Oregon Symphony Orchestra / Carlos Kalmar: Spirit of the American Range". Portland, Oregon: KQAC. Archived from the original on April 12, 2015. Retrieved April 12, 2015.
  12. ↑ Robinson, Paul E. (April 8, 2015). "American Classics Resound on Fine CD from Oregon". Classical Voice North America. Music Critics Association of North America. Archived from the original on January 25, 2016. Retrieved December 21, 2015.
  13. ↑ Dickinson, Peter (April 2015). "Copland: Symphony No 3". Gramophone . Mark Allen Group. Archived from the original on September 24, 2015. Retrieved August 4, 2015.
  14. ↑ "Gramophone: Spirit of The American Range". Pentatone. April 5, 2015. Archived from the original on July 20, 2015. Retrieved August 4, 2015.
  15. ↑ Tommasini, Anthony (May 13, 2015). "Classical Playlist: Carlos Kalmar, Alexander Lingas and More". The New York Times . Archived from the original on February 1, 2021. Retrieved December 16, 2015.
  16. 1 2 Greenwald, David (December 7, 2015). "Oregon Symphony, RAC and more Oregonians score 2016 Grammy nominations". The Oregonian. Archived from the original on December 16, 2015. Retrieved December 16, 2015.
  17. ↑ Baer, April (December 7, 2015). "Grammy Nominations Include Oregon Symphony, Portland Kindie Star". Oregon Public Broadcasting. Archived from the original on December 10, 2015. Retrieved December 16, 2015.
  18. ↑ Rastrelli, Tom Mayhall (December 10, 2015). "Oregon Symphony receives Grammy nomination, Salem honor". Statesman Journal . Salem, Oregon: Gannett Company. Archived from the original on February 1, 2021. Retrieved December 16, 2015.

Further reading

This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.