Lukas Foss and Franz Waxman

The talented and energetic American composer-conductor-pianist Lukas Foss died Sunday at age 86. Coincidentally I had one of his LPs in the queue to be featured here - but this is not it. That album was of Foss as performer only. I decided instead to present this LP of Foss performing his own music, in this case his imaginative second piano concerto in an excellent performance by the composer as soloist with Franz Waxman and his Los Angeles Festival Orchestra, from about 1957.

Waxman, best known as a film composer, also presents some of his concert music here, a Sinfonietta for Strings and Timpani.

Foss wrote in many styles. Some thought this made him a dedicated follower of fashion; I wonder if instead he was always open to new sounds and new ways, and unafraid to be influenced by others. Whatever the source of his inspiration, inspired he was, and so is this concerto.

I do plan to share the other Foss LP soon - in that recording he is heard as pianist with the Zimbler Sinfonietta in Hindemith's The Four Temperaments.