Shapero: Symphony for Classical Orchestra; Nine-Minute Overture

Harold Samuel Shapero (Composer), Andre Previn (Conductor), Los Angeles Philharmonic Orchestra (Orchestra) | Format: Audio CD

Product Details

• Orchestra: Los Angeles Philharmonic Orchestra
• Conductor: Andre Previn
• Composer: Harold Samuel Shapero
• Audio CD (December 8, 1992)
• SPARS Code: DDD
• Number of Discs: 1
• Label: New World Records
• ASIN: B0000030EF
• In-Print Editions: MP3 Download
• Average Customer Review: 4.3 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #423,933 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Terrific Performance of Neglected Masterpiece, October 18, 2009

By 

Marko Velikonja (Yerevan, Armenina) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Shapero: Symphony for Classical Orchestra; Nine-Minute Overture (Audio CD)

In my opinion Shapero's Symphony for Classical Orchestra is possibly the greatest symphony by any American composer, with the possible exception of Copland's Third. An unjustly neglected masterpiece. Andre Previn deserves our thanks for his efforts to revive interest in the work, with performances with a number of top orchestras as well as this recording, though even his heroics don't seem to have given the work legs. As for this performance, the sound is terrific and the playing overall is probably better than the earlier Bernstein/Columbia Symphony version, but it is still surprisingly scrappy in places. Perhaps because it is a very difficult work (and still somewhat unfamiliar to the players). It would benefit from a new recording by a top-notch orchestra (or even by today's LA Phil), but this is a piece I would like every music lover to know, and this recording will certainly help you learn to love it.

2 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Beethoven Meets Copland, January 27, 2008

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Edward J. Kelley "LAFD Crown" (Las Vegas, NV United States) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Shapero: Symphony for Classical Orchestra; Nine-Minute Overture (Audio CD)

If Beethoven had met Copland and been able to co-write a symphony, this would be the result of their collaboration. Broad architecture, pulsing themes, quiet moments of reflection make this an enjoyable listen. The Previn disc has better sound but the Bernstein version is more driven. I don't think you'd be disappointed in adding this disc to your collection.

5.0 out of 5 stars Exhilarating music, January 24, 2012

By 

G.D. (Norway) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Shapero: Symphony for Classical Orchestra; Nine-Minute Overture (Audio CD)

What a marvelous, exhilarating work Harold Shapero's Symphony for Classical Orchestra is! As expected from the title, the style is neo-classical and quite conservative, but the results are thrilling - the image that springs to mind js Shapero donning his sunglasses and taking Haydn, Beethoven and Stravinsky on a swift-paced ride through New England in a sleek sports car. That description is not meant to cast aspersions on the results; indeed, I am willing to claim that it is something of a travesty that Shapero's work hasn't established itself as one of the most widely recognized and admired American symphonies of the twentieth century. It is a young man's work - Shapero showed the score to a dismissive Stravinsky in 1947 (Copland was also dismissive, which is probably partially to blame for the fact that Shapero stopped composing for almost twenty years) - but is extremely skillfully and imaginatively put together, and the ideas are fresh, vital and strong. The music is also almost surprisingly original - while Stravinsky's influence is obvious it doesn't really sound anything like the music of other neo-classical composers working in the US at the time.

The most obvious model for the symphony seems to have been Beethoven's seventh, but the symphony can hardly be called derivative. Its opening movement is thoroughly compelling and thematically memorable. The long Adagietto is the heart of the symphony, however, and it is achingly beautiful and sufficiently varied and imaginative to sustain its rather substantial duration without trouble. The Scherzo is great fun; exuberant, playful and stormy, and the Finale brings it home in a deeply impressive way. Yes, there is much in the symphony that is almost conservative enough to have been written in the classical age (though there are plenty of modern harmonic and rhythmic touches as well), but Shapero imbues it all with a personal touch. A magnificent work.

The early Nine-Minute Overture (1940) is fresh and exuberant as well, though more clearly composed in the shadow of his teacher Walter Piston. While not perhaps any great masterpiece, it is an engaging and fun work nonetheless. André Previn seems at least to have been deeply impressed by both works, and he leads the Los Angeles Philharmonic Orchestra in an energetic, thrilling performance with plenty of spirit and panache (though admittedly a rough patch or two). The recording is a little dry, but works well for music like this. The booklet notes, however, are a little frustrating - there is plenty of information about the composer and the overture, but almost nothing on the symphony. Lastly, I should mention that there exists a recording of the symphony with Leonard Bernstein as well, which I haven't heard. Still, this is an overall marvelous release, enthusiastically recommended.