Virgil Thomson: Symphony No 1-3

Virgil Thomson (Composer), James Sedares (Conductor), New Zealand Symphony Orchestra (Orchestra)

Product Details

• Orchestra: New Zealand Symphony Orchestra
• Conductor: James Sedares
• Composer: Virgil Thomson
• Audio CD (February 22, 2000)
• SPARS Code: DDD
• Number of Discs: 1
• Label: Naxos American
• ASIN: B00004D3IW
• In-Print Editions: MP3 Download
• Average Customer Review: 4.9 out of 5 stars See all reviews (8 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #26,438 in Music (See Bestsellers in Music)

  Popular in these categories: (What's this?)

  #2 in	Music > Classical > Featured Composers, A-Z > ( T ) > Thomson, Virgil
  #67 in	Music > Classical > Symphonies > Modern & 20th Century
  #84 in	Music > Classical > Historical Periods > Modern, 20th, & 21st Century > Forms & Genres > Symphonies

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com
Virgil Thomson (1896-1989) was, during his long creative lifetime, one of the major voices in 20th-century American music. He was a noted critic, teacher and, above all, skilled composer. Like the American romantics of the 1930s (Roy Harris, Howard Hanson, and Samuel Barber, to name a few), Thomson drew from many sources, but mostly from 19th-century American folk music and dance theater (as did Aaron Copland). Captured on this disc are four of Thomson's better-known works, played with sympathy, warmth, and charm by the New Zealand SO, with American James Sedares at the helm. It's also part of Naxos's dynamic American Classics series that, so far, has yet to stumble. And, at midprice, it's also a steal. --Paul Cook

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

17 of 19 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars This CD is a great way to discover American composers, January 8, 2001

By	cruisewhiz "cruisewhiz" (Hawaii) - See all my reviews

Thanks Naxos for bringing the music of Virgil Thomson to us and even at a great price. I have been wanting to experiment in listening to more music by American composers...with this release I am happy I did. It is amazing that foreign orchestra like the very good New Zealand Symphony are playing Thomson and our orchestra seem to ignore him. Try like I did and explore more of our composers. Recommended

10 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars More American Music, October 23, 2005

By	Brett A. Kniess (Madison, WI) - See all my reviews

Most often, the only CD's of Virgil Thomson's music you can buy are of his film music, all excellent compositions, but it is nice to have some recordings of his concert music, presented here thanks to Naxos' American Composers series.

Symphony on a Hymn Tune is just that, "variations" on the tunes How Firm a Foundation and Yes, Jesus Loves Me, and some other pentatonic themes he creates to tie the piece together. There are a few Ivesian sounds portrayed, as well as some jazzy syncopations; a great American masterpiece.

Symphony 2 is very diatonic; from the opening trumpet melody (evocative of Lt. Kije), to the lyrical andante, to the restrained, yet grand finale; it is charming from start to finish. In contrast, Symphony 3 seems to be unified through dance. Rhythm and perpetual motion seem to guide the music along. Perhaps a bit more on the serious side to begin with, the 3rd Symphony also revels in melodiousness and optimism, something shared in all of these works.

Pilgrims and Pioneers is a concert version of music written for a short film at the 1964 Worlds Fair. Again using a wide variety of hymn and folk tunes, this time it is used in a much more pondering and dissonant manner, again, almost in the manner of Ives. It is a kind of mish-mash of ideas, perfect for visualizing the American immigrant.

The New Zealand Symphony Orchestra plays this music with great fervor. The hall is reverberant, although, not overly so. Since most of this music is not easy to find on one CD, this disk is an easy recommendation.

25 of 30 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Music from a very influential composer, February 15, 2000

By	F. Behrens "Frank Behrens" (Keene, NH USA) - See all my reviews (TOP 500 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)

"We all loved his music and rarely performed it." Thus Leonard Bernstein in 1989 after the death of Virgil Thomson. I have read many critics who claim his methods of composition were "forced down the throats" of students in America; others who praise him highly. I feel someplace in the middle, but the new addition to Naxos' American Classics series has nudged me a tad toward the second group.

Since many CDs no longer have any definite titles, I will give what the cover states: <Virgil Thomson: Symphony on a Hymn Tune, Symphony No. 2 in C major, Symphony No. 3, Pilgrims and Pioneers> (8.559022). These four works are played by the New Zealand Symphony Orchestra under James Sedares. Since the liner notes give the composer's own descriptions of much of what you will hear, I wish only to say here that (a) the "Hymn Tune" piece will be more pleasing to most listeners simply because it is the most melodic, (b) the symphonies are honest attempts to bring an American sound to the symphonic format [and you may decide how well he succeeded], and (c) they all influenced other American composers, some in a negative and some in a positive way, dpending on which critic you read. But it is all very listenable and the Naxos bargain price not to be ignored.