Gottschalk Festival

Eugene List (Artist) | Format: Audio CD

Product Details

• Audio CD (November 4, 1992)
• SPARS Code: DDD
• Number of Discs: 2
• Label: Vox (Classical)
• ASIN: B000001K21
• In-Print Editions: MP3 Download
• Average Customer Review: 3.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (7 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #179,283 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)
  • #60 in Music > Classical > Opera & Vocal > Vocal Non-Opera > Caprices

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

15 of 15 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars An essential American composer, May 23, 2002

By 

M. J. Smith (Seattle, WA USA) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Gottschalk Festival (Audio CD)

When I bought my first component stereo system some 30 years ago, Gottschalk was one record I took along to test the sound. Gottschalk remains as enjoyable now, but this cd would never be my test case of a stereo. The performance and recording are adequate but they lack the vitality one can find in other recordings. However, except for the lack of solo piano pieces, the album has a nice selection of Gottschalk's work and it's inexpensive. The last track on disc 1, Pasquinade, Caprice is probably his best known piece - a good introduction to his work.

Gottschalk's music is decidedly American - he grew up in New Orleans at the height of Creole culture. His father was of Spanish Jewish descent, his mother was French. However, Gottschalk began training in France at the age of 13. Thus he was very familiar with the European music of his era (1829-1869); in many ways, his music serves as a bridge between the European and American piano traditions - Scott Joplin being an example of the trajectory of American piano music. Depending upon your taste you may consider his music as classical, as salon orchestra music, as early decidedly American multi-cultural music or as just plain enjoyable fun.

10 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Excellent introduction to Gottschalk!, November 23, 1998

By A Customer

This review is from: Gottschalk Festival (Audio CD)

While the disc (and performances) are not flawless, the CD redeems itself with an ambitious presentation of a wide variety of this neglected composer's works. The tarantelle is his masterpiece and well played here. Listen for the two-piano pieces; this man was a master!

8 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Very good performances of Gottschalk's works, April 12, 2005

By 

Jill Malter ([e-mail]) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Gottschalk Festival (Audio CD)

The United States has produced very few great composers of anything that might be called classical music. Who was the best of them? While there have been many American composers, including MacDowell, Joplin, Rodgers, Copland, Gershwin, Sousa, Anderson, and Bernstein, well, how many were truly great?

My choice for the best of them is Gottschalk. And these discs give one a good idea of what he composed. A couple of "symphonies," some piano duets, some marches, a one-act opera. Yes, there are bombastic patriotic marches. And some precursors to ragtime. And plenty of what sounds like modern program music. Maybe my favorite of the orchestral works is "La Nuit des Tropiques." Now, is this performance as good as the ones by the Utah Symphony with Abravanel? Some folks think Abravanel's best one is better, but you may not be able to find it so easily. And I prefer this one.

Gottschalk's many solo piano compositions may be his best works, and they aren't included. But I still like these discs and performances.