Robert Ward's Symphony No. 1; Alexei Haieff's Piano Concerto

Here are two fine mid-century works by two of the leading composers of the time, Robert Ward (1917-2013) and Alexei Haieff (1914-1994).

Robert Ward

Ward has appeared here before with his Third Symphony; today's work was his first effort in that form. This is the first time that I have featured one of Haieff's compositions on the blog.

Ward, born in Cleveland, attended the Eastman School as an undergraduate. His First Symphony dates from 1941, when he was a graduate student at Juilliard. It is a relatively brief, tonal but dramatic work, showing his early mastery.

Alexei Haieff

Haieff was born in Russia and came to the U.S. in 1931. He was a Juilliard student later in that decade, then went to Paris for work with Nadia Boulanger. He composed his piano concerto in 1947-48 while at the American Academy in Rome. It received its premiere in 1952 with Leo Smit as the soloist and Stokowski conducting.

This recording, made even before the premiere in October 1951, also features the excellent Smit. The conductor is Walter Hendl; discographer Michael Gray identifies the "American Recording Society Symphony" as the Vienna Symphony, which ARS often engaged for these sessions. Gray does not have a listing for the Ward symphony; however, it was likely recorded at about the same time, perhaps in 1951, when its conductor, Dean Dixon, was leading other ARS performances with the Vienna Symphony.

The orchestral work is very good for such unfamiliar scores, and the recordings are well balanced. The cover is unsigned, but appears to be by Peter Piening, a commercial artist who did much work for ARS.

Robert Ward

A quick post today to mark the passing of a distinguished American composer, Robert Ward, who died earlier this week.

Robert Ward

Ward is best known for his opera The Crucible but his orchestral music is very worthwhile. This present post has his Symphony No. 3, which dates from 1950.

This entirely sympathetic performance is by the Cincinnati Symphony conducted by its then music director, Thor Johnson. The recording was issued in 1955, although I believe it was actually made in 1953.

Thor Johnson

A quotation from Ward's website is helpful as a quick introduction to his music: "In every aspect of his composition, Ward consciously expresses his philosophy and interpretation of American idealism, which have become part of his being during a long and varied career. As a composer who enjoys the rich palette of life in the United States to its fullest, Robert Ward proudly represents himself as a truly 'American' composer."

Ward was part of New York's musical life for many years before moving to Winston-Salem to become chancellor of the North Carolina School of the Arts.

Leon Stein

Also on this record are the "Three Hassidic Dances" by another American composer, Leon Stein, who was associated with De Paul University in Chicago for many years. The dances are from 1940-41 and were an outgrowth of the composer's interest in the ecstatic and mystical aspects of Hasidim. The performance is vigorous and confident.

These recordings were subsidized by the American Composers Alliance during a short-lived agreement with Remington, an interesting budget label of the time. The sound is reasonably good, but as often the case with Remington, the surfaces were not quiet. However, the end result is pleasing and the music is in any case excellent.