We've encountered Morton Gould here before, both as a composer and conductor. This time, he performs both functions.
All these compositions were recorded in June 1946 with the Robin Hood Dell Orchestra, which either is the Philadelphia Orchestra, or a variant of it.
These compositions are generally based on familiar tunes. The Cowboy Rhapsody includes both Home on the Range and a melody very familiar to those who know their Copland. The American Salute, composed during the Second World War, is based on When Johnny Comes Marching Home. There also are two homages to other Allied forces, the Red Cavalry March and the New China March. And finally two settings of spirituals.
I don't think these recordings have been reissued since the 1940s or shortly thereafter, when they came out in 78 and 45 rpm albums and a 10-inch LP. This dub is based on an unplayed old store stock 45 box. I want to add, though, that "unplayed" does not mean "perfect." There is some minor pressing noise. The set has a nice Alex Steinweiss cover.
I wish that Gould were better remembered. He produced excellent music in a variety of genres - these sides included.
9 comments:
once again, i have to commend you on your exquisite taste and formidable precision on setting up your posts. there are many interesting blogs, but rarely does one find one as meticulously organized as yours. you deserve our full respect.
about morton gould: i too enjoy his stuff a lot, and am very happy to find these rare releases you posted. gould was an uneven composer. one mediocre work that i could mention is his rca red seal release 'venice' & 'vivaldi gallery' (seattle symphony, 1969). i was disappointed by that lp. pity he didn't write more stuff like his clarinet 'derivations'.
still, your offers here are simply beyond compare!
my warmest congratulations
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Hi! Please, give us a NEW LINK
Thank You!!!
Remastered version from mp3 originals (Apple lossless):
https://www.mediafire.com/?scu8it5wbjgd1nc
Many many THANKS!!
THX a lot for that Morton Gould re-up !!!
Thank you for helping me get acquainted with Morton Gould!
Hi Buster--
thanks so much for this, and for all your work here, which I DL frequently and thank you for er, less frequently.
Might it be possible for you to add a sidebar link to the Robin Hood Dell orchestra? As I understand it, the RHD was the summer version of the Philadelphia Orchestra, with most of the same personnel. I have a particular interest in Ralph McLane, their principal clarinetist from c. 1942-1950. This undoubtedly has him on it (haven't listened yet); would love the ability to sift through all the RHD recordings in your vast archive. My humble thanks for all you do!
Hi Doug,
Thanks for your note! You are assuming that I can remember which recordings I have uploaded. There are about 700 of them here, so that's impossible for someone of my advanced years and laziness. However, if you type "robin hood" in the Blogger search engine (which admittedly is not very good), you should find items conducted by Leinsdorf and Mitropoulos with that band. Or just click on their labels.
PS - The search engine interface is at top left of the page.
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