Longtime friend of the blog David Federman recently sent a plea for more transfers from the M-G-M Records classical catalog. That label was active in the classical realm for several years in the 1950s, and issued many interesting items during its short life.
I do have a number of M-G-M titles, and this one is of perhaps special interest. It presents the idiosyncratic American composer Alan Hovhaness leading three of his own works in what must be considered authoritative readings, in vivid if at times unsubtle sound. (Turn down the tymps, please!)
The first side consists of his incidental music for The Flowering Peach, a Clifford Odets play about Noah and the Ark that was on Broadway for four months in late 1954 and early 1955. (It later became the basis of the Richard Rodgers-Martin Charnin musical Two By Two, a vehicle for Danny Kaye, who infuriated Rodgers with his improvisations.)
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| Alan Hovhaness, demonstrating his prolificacy |
Hovhaness was famously prolific and reputedly did not try to create a masterpiece with every opus. But with his influences from Armenian and other world musics, he may seem more up-to-date to today's listeners than many of his contemporaries.
In the recording, Hovhaness leads chamber ensembles that I believe were drawn from the New York pool of musicians, who as you might expect are proficient, although they sound a little under-rehearsed. I don't have recording dates for all of the pieces on this LP, but two of them were taped in 1955.
If you enjoy Hovhaness's music, you may also want to go to my post of his St. Vartan Symphony, which I recently remastered and reuploaded at David's request.
Note (October 2024): both Hovhaness discs have now been remastered in ambient stereo.
Thanks for the Hovhaness disc--it's one I wasn't familiar with.
ReplyDeleteThanks for another great Hovhaness recording.
ReplyDeleteOMG, what a wonderful surprise. Thank you from, in your case, the bottomless bottom of my heart. This one is likewise new to me. Keep digging through those MGM albums. I found a couple at Amoeba Records in Los Angeles about three years ago--all in excellent shape. Why they were such admirers of Hovhaness is a mystery. While in high school, I read a review of an early record of the composer's compositions by Leonard Bernstein who dismissed it as "wall paper music." It was hard to forgive Lennie for that, but I did.
ReplyDeleteHi all - Thanks for the comments!
ReplyDeleteDavid - I figured you would like this one. Somewhere I read or determined that MGM issued eight Hovhaness LPs. I only have these two. Paul Bowles is next.
A great LP discovery from this so prolific and always amazing composer. Thanks so much Buster !
ReplyDeleteJean
Thank you for all the MGM material. (I once owned many of these but years ago sold them off and now have been replacing them with your posts).
ReplyDeleteHi Buster,
ReplyDeleteI'm a refugee from Bryan's Shellackophile. He had a link to here, so I thought I'd look around. Nice place you have here. I was wondering if you had this and perhaps would consider posting:
https://www.discogs.com/Boston-Pops-Orchestra-Arthur-Fiedler-Slaughter-On-10th-Ave-Complete-And-Other-Ballet-Selections/release/2656636
Either way, I appreciate all your good works here.
rev.b - That very record is literally within arm's reach right now. I can transfer it but might take a little while because I am overpromised and underperforming at the moment.
ReplyDeleteSweet! I've got time....I think so anyway, so whenever you can get to it, it'll be much appreciated!
ReplyDeleteFYI - Fiedler's stereo remake of the Slaughter ballet music is available here:
ReplyDeletehttps://mega.co.nz/#!GNMwAR5Z!YBca5IDF9rerd02DlQAJF1M16MgLGJE4Yfuvp7JBzd0
Thank you, Buster, for this wonderful transfer.
ReplyDeleteThanks Buster. I am looking for the original version, childhood memory you know. I'll stand by until you can get to it.
ReplyDeleteThis is very excellent music. Thanks very much for this recording, I've never heard of it. I'm enjoying it immensely.
ReplyDeleteThanks for this--I've been on a Hovhaness kick lately, and The Flowering Peach is one of my favorite pieces of his. (As well as St. Vartan, which I also got from you years ago.)
ReplyDeletePlease never stop doing what you do.
Hi Tim - Thanks!
ReplyDelete