Lukas Foss Plays Hindemith

A short while ago, I featured Lukas Foss as composer, in a tribute to him following his recent death. Here is the second post I promised at that time, which involves him solely as performer.

In this recording, Foss takes the piano part of Hindemith's The Four Temperaments, performing with the Zimbler String Sinfonietta, a Boston ensemble of the period that I believe was composed of Boston Symphony members.

The performance itself is quite good and well recorded, although the Sanguine variation could have been less po-faced. The recording was made in May 1950 at an unknown location, presumably in Boston. This was one of American Decca's first classical LPs.

The liner notes quote Virgil Thomson as saying of Foss, who was then 25: "He is a musician of rare and authentic accomplishments; he cannot fail to raise the standard of musical achievement in this generation." Quite a weight of expectation for someone so young; if he did not fulfill all the evident hopes of the musical establishment, nonetheless his achievements were real and considerable.

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.