Still, William Grant

Average customer rating:

Inspirational!
hymns we sang in church

Abide With Me

Manufacturer: Decca
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

General | Sacred & Religious | Classical | Styles | Music

General | Classical | Styles | Music

General | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music

Hymns | Vocal Non-Opera | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music

Oratorios | Vocal Non-Opera | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music

The Decca Records Store | Specialty Stores | Music
Similar Items:

Hymns Through the Centuries
Hymns Triumphant 1 & 2
Praise to the Lord - Hymns From St. Paul's Cathedral
Be Still My Soul: The Ultimate Hymns Collection
Best Loved Hymns

ASIN: B000024236
Release Date: 1996-06-10

Tracks:

Praise, My Soul, The King of Heaven - Choir of King's College, Stephen Cleobury
Christ Is Made the Sure Foundation - Choir of King's College, Stephen Cleobury
All Glory, Laud and Honour - Choir of King's College, Stephen Cleobury
When I Survey the Wondrous Cross - Choir of King's College, Stephen Cleobury
Day of Resurrection - Choir of King's College, Stephen Cleobury
O God, Our Help in Ages Past - Choir of King's College, Stephen Cleobury
Dear Lord and Father of Mankind - Choir of King's College, Stephen Cleobury
Praise to the Holiest in the Height - Choir of King's College, Stephen Cleobury
Praise to the Lord - Choir of King's College, Stephen Cleobury
Church's One Foundation - Choir of King's College, Stephen Cleobury
Crown Him With Many Crowns - Choir of King's College, Stephen Cleobury
Love Divine, All Loves Excelling - Choir of King's College, Stephen Cleobury
Holy, Holy, Holy! Lord God Almighty - Choir of King's College, Stephen Cleobury
Now Thank We All Our God - Choir of King's College, Stephen Cleobury
Abide with Me - Choir of King's College, Stephen Cleobury
O Praise Ye the Lord - Choir of King's College, Stephen Cleobury
Drop, Drop, Slow Tears - Choir of King's College, Sir David Willcocks
Glory Be to Jesus - Choir of King's College, Sir David Willcocks
There Is a Green Hill Far Away - Choir of King's College, Sir David Willcocks
According to Thy Gracious Word - Choir of King's College, Sir David Willcocks
Holy Father, Cheer Our Way - Choir of King's College, Sir David Willcocks
Glory to Thee, My God, This Night - Choir of King's College, Sir David Willcocks
Day Thou Gavest, Lord, Is Ended - Choir of King's College, Sir David Willcocks
Hark! A Thrilling Voice Is Sounding - Choir of King's College, Sir David Willcocks
On Jordan's Bank the Baptist's Cry - Choir of King's College, Sir David Willcocks

Tracks:

Onward, Christian Soldiers - Huddersfield Choral Society, Wyn Morris
Lord's My Shepherd - Huddersfield Choral Society, Wyn Morris
Guide Me, O Thou Great Jehovah - Huddersfield Choral Society, Wyn Morris
All People That on Earth Do Dwell - U.S.A.F. Protestant Chapel Choir, West Ruislap, England,
O Come, O Come, Emmanuel - U.S.A.F. Protestant Chapel Choir, West Ruislap, England,
Forty Days and Forty Nights - U.S.A.F. Protestant Chapel Choir, West Ruislap, England,
O Sacred Head, Now Wounded - U.S.A.F. Protestant Chapel Choir, West Ruislap, England,
Christ the Lord Is Risen Today - U.S.A.F. Protestant Chapel Choir, West Ruislap, England,
Head That Once Was Crown'd With Thorns - U.S.A.F. Protestant Chapel Choir, West Ruislap, England,
Rock of Ages - Choir of King's College, Maurice Vinden
Eternal Father, Strong to Save - Choir of King's College, Maurice Vinden
All Things Bright and Beautiful - Choir of Paisley Abbey, George McPhee
Be Thou My Vision - Choir of Paisley Abbey, George McPhee
Be Still, My Soul - Choir of Paisley Abbey, George McPhee
King of Love My Shepherd Is - Choir of Paisley Abbey, George McPhee
Let Us With a Gladsome Mind - Choir of Paisley Abbey, George McPhee
For All the Saints - Choir of Paisley Abbey, George McPhee
O Worship the King - Choir of Paisley Abbey, George McPhee
Come, Thou Long-Expected Jesus - Choir of King's College, George Guest
Let All Mortal Flesh Keep Silence - Choir of King's College, George Guest
Spirit of Mercy, Truth, And Love - Choir of King's College, George Guest
Lead Us, Heavenly Father, Lead Us - Choir of King's College, George Guest
Immortal, Invisible, God Only Wise - Choir of King's College, George Guest
Jesu, Lover of My Soul - Choir of King's College, George Guest
Jerusalem - Bournemouth Symphony Orchestra, Choir of King's College, ,

Album Details

Compiled Here Are Fifty of the Most Beloved Hymns Performed by Three of England's Most Distinguished Choirs. Every Selection Here is Sung in an Appropriately Dignified Manner and If You're Up for Over Two Hours of Consistently Well-rendered Quintessentially English Treatments of These Vernacular Favorites it Simply Doesn't Get Any Better Than This.

Customer Reviews:

Inspirational!.......2004-10-08

Majestic hymns sung with British accents. A great combination! I haven't noticed any objectionable sounds on my copy.

hymns we sang in church.......2003-02-16

i grew up in a traditional presbyterian church that had a pipe organ. i wanted a cd of many of the hymns that we sang in church sung by a choir and accompanied by a pipe organ. this cd fulfilled my wishes perfectly. the hymns are performed in a very straight-forward fashion with no show-boating or excess flourishes which is exactly what i wanted. this is not gospel music but what i refer to as liturgical music to indicate that it is religious music but not gospel music. i would give it 5 stars but there is a slight hiss. other than that the recording quality is very good.

William Grant Still: Afro-American Symphony; In Memoriam; Africa (Symphonic Poem)

Average customer rating:

Great Music
The Very American Music of William Grant Still
Long Lost Symphony
Amazing!
Dynamic Orchestra

William Grant Still: Afro-American Symphony; In Memoriam; Africa (Symphonic Poem)

Manufacturer: Naxos American
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

Suites | Forms & Genres | Classical | Styles | Music

General | Symphonies | Classical | Styles | Music

Modern & 20th Century | Symphonies | Classical | Styles | Music

General | Classical | Styles | Music

$6.99 and Under | Classical Music Blowout | Stores | Music

All Classical Music Blowout | Classical Music Blowout | Stores | Music

Instrumental | Classical Music Blowout | Stores | Music
Similar Items:

Works By William Grant Still
Amy Beach: "Gaelic" Symphony; Piano Concerto
Rorem: Three Symphonies
Still: Symphony No. 1; Ellington: Suite from "The River"
William Schuman: Symphonies Nos. 4 and 9; Orchestra Song; Circus Overture

ASIN: B0007ORDYU
Release Date: 2005-03-22

Tracks:

In Memoriam
Land Of Peace
Land Of Romance
Land Of Superstition
Moderato Assai
Adagio
Animato
Lento, Con Risoluzione

Customer Reviews:

Great Music.......2007-05-13

This is a great CD that's not only extremely affordable but is also extremely enjoyable. The music of William Grant Still stands out as some of the finest music composed by American composers of the 20th century. In Memorium is particularly poignant. The rest of the CD is great too.

The Very American Music of William Grant Still.......2005-08-05

To tell the truth, I wanted to start this review by saying that William Grant Still is one of those one-work wonders of a composer of which the opera world has so many examples (Leoncavallo, Giordano, etc., etc.). But then I listened a few times more to "Africa," given its premiere recording here. Its melodies and musical gestures may be less striking than those in Still's one big work, the Afro-American Symphony, also included on this disc. On the other hand, "Africa" has some very compelling music, too, and is colorfully orchestrated in Still's signature manner. Just listen to the soft solo for timpani at the start: this sets the mood immediately for the first movement, entitled "Land of Peace." It is indeed peaceful music but with some added spice to keep the listener on his or her toes. The last movement, "Land of Superstition," seems to me rather bland given its title, but overall, this music is an attractive travelogue in the manner of Virgil Thomson's film scores from the 1930s, anticipating them in fact by several years. Along with Thomson, Still can probably be credited with pioneering the use of pop-musical influences to effectively create local color.

That truth is even more evident in the Afro-American Symphony. You have to sit up and take notice when a symphony begins with a blues refrain that's quickly answered by a quirky little jazz riff in the winds. It's like a little scene from a musical of the 1930s: chase your blues away, says that little jazz riff. But then you realize this is a genuine symphonic first movement in well-argued sonata form, and you've got to be impressed.

The notes to this recording point out that the bouncy third movement (with banjo obbligato, first time in a symphony certainly!) has a main theme very similar to George Gershwin's "I Got Rhythm." Actually, Still came up with his melody before Gershwin wrote his song, but Still and Gershwin supposedly influenced one another, so maybe Gershwin cribbed a bit from Still. Hearing the very dramatic episodes in the first and last movements that seem to forecast scenes in "Porgy and Bess," I wonder if Still didn't influence Gershwin much more than the reverse.

Be that as it may, I find, as with "Africa," that the symphony is let down a bit by the finale, though it does end with an appropriately dramatic peroration, leaving a bold impression. All things considered, this is one of the best symphonies written by an American and certainly one of the most American of all.

I have nothing but praise for the performances. The Fort Smith Symphony takes this music to heart and presents it with great feeling and with the kind of abandon that comes when musicians have lived with music for a while and have gotten it into their blood. Sure, this is a regional orchestra instead of one of America's Big Five, but if so, these excellent performances just speak to the general quality of American orchestras even out in the hinterlands. Conductor John Jeter probably deserves a good deal of credit as well. And while I'm at it, kudos to the Naxos engineers too. The recording has fine presence and detail. Given Naxos' price, this disc is the way to go if you want to acquire William Grant Still's classic.

Long Lost Symphony.......2005-07-28

It's one of the tragedies of the 20th century that Still's Symphonic Suite AFRICA has never been recorded in its symphonic version before. Two versions for piano don't begin to give an idea of its rich color and expressiveness. In spite of the no-name orchestra (so to speak) this is a good recording of a truly beautiful work. I don't think Still ever composed anything better. The opening track, IN MEMORIAM, is also a novelty. Sit back and enjoy!
Catherine Parsons Smith (author of WILLIAM GRANT STILL: A STUDY IN CONTRADICTIONS)

Amazing!.......2005-04-21

This is a great CD of the world premiere recording of the remarkable American classical music composer, William Grant Still. Performed by the Fort Smith Symphony, under the direction of John Jeter, it is beautiful and inspiring. The viola section plays exceptionally well.

Dynamic Orchestra.......2005-04-10

The Fort Smith Symphony under the direction of John Jeter is a dynamic orchestra. This CD is an excellent example of the talents of the musicians synchronized by their director's many worldwide experiences conducting symphonies. Fort Smith is a moderate sized community located in the heartland of the U.S. The community and the region are fortunate to have such dedicated talent in their local culture. I hope to see future CD recordings of this caliber from the Fort Smith Symphony.

Still: Symphony No. 1; Ellington: Suite from "The River"

Average customer rating:

Still: Symphony Nº 1
Good, Good, Good
African-American Composers In The Spotlight
Great music, underplayed performance
Bought it for the Ellington; play it now for the Still!

Still: Symphony No. 1; Ellington: Suite from "The River"

Manufacturer: Chandos
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

General | Symphonies | Classical | Styles | Music

Modern & 20th Century | Symphonies | Classical | Styles | Music

General | Classical | Styles | Music

Still/Dawson/Ellington: Symphony No. 2/Negro Folk Symphony/Harlem
William Grant Still: Afro-American Symphony; In Memoriam; Africa (Symphonic Poem)
Works By William Grant Still
Nielsen: Aladdin Suite; Pan and Syrinx; Saga Deam; Maskarade Overture; Helios Overture
Dawson: Negro Folk Symphony; Ellington: Suite From the "River," "Solitude"

ASIN: B000000ARJ
Release Date: 1993-12-30

Tracks:

Symphony No. 1 (Afro-American): I Moderato Assai
Symphony No. 1 (Afro-American): II Adagio
Symphony No. 1 (Afro-American): III Animato
Symphony No. 1 (Afro-American): IV Lento, con risoluzione
Suite From 'The River': 1 Spring
Suite From 'The River': 2 Meander
Suite From 'The River': 3 Giggling Rapids
Suite From 'The River': 4 Lake
Suite From 'The River': 5 Vortex
Suite From 'The River': 6 Riba
Suite From 'The River': 7 Village Virgins

Amazon.com

William Grant Still composed a large body of excellent music that deserves the widest possible circulation. He merged his mastery of the jazz vernacular with classical forms learned at Wilberforce and Oberlin. Even while studying later with an iconoclast like Edgar Varese, Still sought to extend the historical focus of the Harlem Renaissance into his compositions, injecting the "Afro-American" symphony especially with folk-inspired touches of impressionism and neo-Romanticism. The work seeks a broad sweep and bears resemblances to Gershwin and Ellington in the mix of pop and swing elements into the symphonic language. The coupling is a fitting one, in part because Ellington struggled for years to create a large-scale work that could indeed be considered rightfully "orchestral" outside his own big band's works. The Suite from the River is an ideal revelation, taking Ellington's sectionally orchestral thinking (where the orchestra was a conglomerate of different sections playing off each other) to levels that reach Still's well-schooled use of the symphony orchestra as a vehicle. Neeme Järvi does a fine job leading the Detroit Symphony Orchestra in rendering these two unlikely but deserving works. --Andrew Bartlett

Customer Reviews:

Still: Symphony Nº 1.......2005-10-17

This is a masterpiece of the black folclor in a wonderfull interpretation. When I heard for first time I felt me inside of the soul of the ancient black people. The composer and the interpretation knew in themselves the happiness and the sadness at same time from them

Good, Good, Good.......2005-06-20

Since these two composers must be considered in the same field as Beethoven and Brahms (it's strange to think of Ellington writing in that setting), I must rate the music itself only 4 stars because these two are not quite Big B (either one) when it comes to knowing the orchestra. I do like this music very much, and I give this performance 5 stars for the DSO's willingness to put it out at all: they have rectified a great dishonor held against both composers. However, while the playing is good, I can imagine more passion in these pieces, and I wonder why Bernstein never touched them, being somewhat of a jazzman himself.

Here's a musing: the CD box seems to indicate that the segments from The River were not arranged by Duke himself. I don't know why this would be, but if it's true then the music probably could have been twice as good, because if you've ever listened to any of Duke's big band music at all, you'll know that Duke was incapable of producing an arrangement with inappropriate part-writing. But this oddity aside, I enjoyed this disc fully and I heard some new sounds to boot. If you haven't heard this, get it. You will enjoy a solid performance of worthy music.

African-American Composers In The Spotlight.......2004-07-18

Two great African-American composers of the 20th century--William Grant Still (1895-1978) and the legendary "Sir" Duke Ellington (1899-1974)--have one work each spotlighted on this fine Chandos recording.

Still's "Afro-American" symphony--the Symphony No. 1--has the distinction of being perhaps the first symphony by an African-American ever to be performed by a major symphony orchestra (composer and conductor Howard Hanson led the work's world premiere in 1931 with the Rochester Philharmonic). It is a work that is very much a part of the composer's background, with its roots in jazz and the blues, and is every bit as American as the great works of Copland and Gershwin, though its symphonic structure is also very much along the lines of Brahms and Beethoven.

Duke Ellington, meanwhile, gets onto this recording via his 1970 ballet music for "The River", which was commissioned by Alvin Ailey's dance company. Though known as one of the premiere American jazz geniuses of all times, Ellington could also compose for symphonic orchestra (his total number of works is at least 2,000); and this work, which depicts the natural course of a river, is a wonderful and energetic piece.

Both Still's and Ellington's works are not all that well known, but are given first rate performances by the Detroit Symphony Orchestra under Neeme Jarvi. As they had done with the music of French composers under Paul Paray in the 1950s/early 1960s, and with 20th century music from composers like Copland and Richard Strauss under Antal Dorati in the late 70s/early 80s, the orchestra during Jarvi's tenure has been a strong advocate of African-American composers and their works, and this is a prime example of that. Well worth looking for and listening to.

Great music, underplayed performance.......2004-05-08

This is a good performance of a great work. One writer below describes the symphony as being in "the Gershwin style". Nothing could be further from the truth. A common source informs the work of Still & Gershwin, yet Still's purpose was to present a serious black perspective in a symphonic idiom, whereas Gershwin used the Blues as a technique to color and enliven his essentially American-Eurocentric view of a popular idiom. The genesis of the Scherzo of Still's symphony (which contains what is wrongly thought of as an "I Got Rhythm" quotation) is complex, fascinating, and full of coded messages. If you're truly interested in its meaning, and the difference in Gershwin and Still's treatment of the material, see Catherine Smith's "William Grant Still: A Study in Contradictions".

All that said, Still is an American original, and it is shameful and craven on the part of boards and producers that we have yet to hear more of his many orchestral works, or any of his 8 operas in stagings by major American companies. You can find tapes of rather poor performances of three of his operas, if you look hard. Come on MET, DG, NY Opera, BMG, Seattle Opera, Naxos, Chicago Opera, CPO, Boston Lyric Opera, Chandos, Cleveland Opera! Please spare us another Rigoletto and give us one, just one Still opera! We'll buy it! Till then, I'm even grateful for this.

Bought it for the Ellington; play it now for the Still!.......2003-07-20

When I bought this CD, it was for The River, an excellent minor classical piece by Duke Ellington. Once I heard the Grant Still symphony, I was hooked. This is great music, in the Gershwin style, but written contemporaneously. The recording is superb, Neemi Jarvi is excellent (as always), and the Detroit Symphony Orchestra, often underrated, is in top form.

Average customer rating:

An American classic

Works By William Grant Still

Manufacturer: New World Records
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

General | Symphonies | Classical | Styles | Music

General | Classical | Styles | Music

General | Chamber Music | Classical | Styles | Music

General | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music

Modern & 20th Century | Historical Periods | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music

William Grant Still: Afro-American Symphony; In Memoriam; Africa (Symphonic Poem)
William Grant Still: The American Scene
Music of William Grant Still
African Heritage Symphonic Series, Vol. 1
Still/Dawson/Ellington: Symphony No. 2/Negro Folk Symphony/Harlem

ASIN: B0000030GM
Release Date: 1992-12-08

Tracks:

I. Suite For Violin And Piano
II. Suite For Violin And Piano
III. Suite For Violin And Piano
Songs Of Separation: Idolatry
Songs Of Separation: Poeme
Songs Of Separation: Parted
Songs Of Separation: If You Should Go
Songs Of Separation: A Black Pierrot
Incantation And Dance
Here's One
Summerland
Citadel
Song For The Lonely
Out Of The Silence
I. Ennango
II. Ennanga
III. Ennanga
Lift Every Voice And Sing

Customer Reviews:

An American classic.......2001-01-21

This seminal recording is a must for the library of anyone serious in the study of American music. William Grant Still, often lauded as the "Dean of African American Composers," is among the most distinguished composers in the United States, regardless of his race. This anthology of his work explores his contribution to small scale genres, namely chamber music and song. Having been deeply enamored of the human voice, his music is imbued with lyricism for every instrument.

Tracks:

The American Scene: Grand Teton
The American Scene: Tomb Of the Unknown
The American Scene: Soldier
The American Scene: Song Of the Rivermen
From The Hearts Of Women: Little Mother
From The Hearts Of Women: Mid Tide
From The Hearts Of Women: Coquette
From The Hearts Of Women: Bereft
The American Scene: The Plaza
The American Scene: Sundown Land
The American Scene: Navaho Country
Citadel
Phantom Chapel
Golden Days
Serenade
The American Scene: On The Village Green
The American Scene: Berkshire Night
The American Scene: Manhattan Skyline

Oregon Festival of American Music Presents William Grant Still

Average customer rating:

Phenomenal
Worth it for the "Lyric Quartet" alone

Oregon Festival of American Music Presents William Grant Still

Manufacturer: Koch Int'l Classics
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

Quartets | Chamber Music | Classical | Styles | Music

General | Chamber Music | Classical | Styles | Music

General | Classical | Styles | Music

Musical Theater | Vocal Non-Opera | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music
Similar Items:

William Grant Still: Afro-American Symphony; In Memoriam; Africa (Symphonic Poem)
Works By William Grant Still

ASIN: B000063DHC
Release Date: 2002-04-23

Tracks:

Lyric Quartet: The Sentimental One
Lyric Quartet: The Quiet One
Lyric Quartet: The Jovial One
Danzas De Panama: Tamborito
Danzas De Panama: Mejorana
Danzas De Panama: Punto
Danzas De Panama: Cumbia Y Congo
Prince And The Mermaid Suite: Song Of The Sea
Prince And The Mermaid Suite: Waltz
Prince And The Mermaid Suite: Minuet
Prince And The Mermaid Suite: Scherzo
Summerland
Selections From The Little Folk Suites: Los Indios
Selections From The Little Folk Suites: Wade In The Water
Selections From The Little Folk Suites: Salangadou
Selections From The Little Folk Suites: Aurore Pradere And Tant Sirop Est Doux
Selections From The Little Folk Suites: Pastorela
Selections From The Little Folk Suites: Blues
Selections From The Little Folk Suites: Quit Dat Fool'nish

Customer Reviews:

Phenomenal.......2007-01-04

One of the best composers of the 20th century, this rendition of W.G.S's music is moving and well recorded.

Worth it for the "Lyric Quartet" alone.......2006-05-31

The first half of this album contains some of the most beautiful, breathtaking music for strings ever written, played and recorded. Very sentimental and heartfelt, quite accessible for those unfamiliar with Grant's works. I give this cd 4 stars for this 3 movement piece alone.
The same liveliness is also evident in the three works which follow, Danzaz De Panama", "Prince and the Mermaid Suite" and "Summerland".
But toward the end one will have realized that they've already heard the best that this album has to offer, as it tends to grow stale and even wearisome and transform into audio wallpaper.
The first half - fantastic.****
The second half - yawn.
But "Lyric Suite" is a tough act to follow.

Average customer rating:

Wonderful Album

American Violin

Manufacturer: Koch Int'l Classics
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

General | Classical | Styles | Music

General | Chamber Music | Classical | Styles | Music
ASIN: B000001SHO
Release Date: 1996-07-23

Tracks:

Dou For Violin And Piano: Flowing
Dou For Violin And Piano: Poetic, Somewhat Mournful
Dou For Violin And Piano: Lively, With Bounce
Suite For Violin And Piano: African Dancer - Majestically
Suite For Violin And Piano: Mother And Child - Slowly And Expressive
Suite For Violin And Piano: Gamin - Rythmically And Humorously
Variations And Capriccio: Theme And Variations
Variations And Capriccio: Capriccio: Andante e Liberamente
Suite For Violin And Piano: I. Largo
Suite For Violin And Piano: II. Allegretto
Suite For Violin And Piano: III. Andante Tranquillo
Suite For Violin And Piano: IV. Allegro Marcato
Suite For Violin And Piano: V. Andante Calmato
Suite For Violin And Piano: VI. Presto

Customer Reviews:

Wonderful Album.......2007-01-29

All the cuts on this album are very good. The Copland piece is beautiful and unmistakably Copland (I must say that almost everything I hear by Copland is moving and evocative and this piece is no exception). I have become very fond of Cowell's works which are mostly choral pieces and this is how a stumbled across this album looking for works by Cowell. The Copland piece alone is worth buying the album.

Average customer rating:

Good Music!!!
excellent recording and musicianship
Get Mercury Living Presence Before Its Dead

Hanson Conducts Fiesta in Hi-Fi

Manufacturer: Philips
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

Ballets | Ballets & Dances | Classical | Styles | Music

General | Classical | Styles | Music

Compilations | Classical | Styles | Music

General | International | Styles | Music
Similar Items:

Chadwick: Symphonic Sketches; MacDowell: Suite for orchestra Op42/1-5
Howard Hanson Conducts Barber, Piston, Griffes, McCauley, Kennan, Bergsma
Dorati Conducts Satie, Milhaud, Auric, Françaix & Fetler
Mendelssohn: Symphony No. 5 / Midsummer Night's Dream
Howard Hanson Conducts Bloch

ASIN: B0000057LW
Release Date: 1992-10-13

Tracks:

Mexican Rhapsody
Savannah River Holiday
Kentucky Mountain Portraits: 1. Cindy
Kentucky Mountain Portraits: 2. Ballad
Kentucky Mountain Portraits: 3. Shivaree
Joe Clark Steps Out
Sahdji (Ballet): 1. Part 1
Sahdji (Ballet): 2. Part 2
Overture To The Creole 'Faust'

Customer Reviews:

Good Music!!!.......2005-09-09

I bought this CD after hearing one track on WUOL, the local public radio station, "Joe Clark Steps Out," an orchestral spin on an old folk fiddle tune, "Old Joe Clark." Turns out I also thorouoghly enjoyed the rest of the CD. I've been playing the CD almost non-stop in the car since I got it. Fans of Aaron Copland, Gustav Holst, Mitch Miller's TV sing-along, and John Williams' movie music (Star Wars et al) should enjoy the other tracks as well, or at least hear some similarities. Who'd'a'thunk that recordings made 50 years ago could sound so good re-done on a CD and that 20th Century Music could be so enjoyable!!
Happy Listening!!

excellent recording and musicianship.......2005-07-01

I had been looking for this CD for quite a while after my LP was ruined in a flood. I just had to have another copy. The pieces recorded in 1956 were excellently put on CD in 1992. Crisp and Clear. The pieces, by mainly American Composers, are refreshing and well executed by a very underrated conductor and orchestra.

Get Mercury Living Presence Before Its Dead.......2003-07-05

When I first started collecting classical CDs, I only had a few Mercury Living Presence (MLP) titles. In my quest to get the absolute best, or at least a definitive recording, of the major works of the standard repertoire, MLP discs rarely topped the critics' lists. In fact, only three MLP recordings have been earmarked as "Essential Recordings" by Amazon.com -- Tchaikovsky's 1812 Overture, Byron Janis performing Rachmaninov's 2nd & 3rd Piano Concertos, and Yehudi Menuhin performing Bartok's 2nd Violin Concerto, all three with Antal Dorati as conductor. It is also safe to say that three other titles are equally essential for their historical value alone. They are Tchaikovsky's Swan Lake by Dorati (the first recording of the complete ballet), Janis performing Liszt's Piano Concertos (the first recordings made in the Soviet Union by American technicians, musical staff and equipment), and Kubelik's Chicago Symphony performance of Pictures at an Exhibition (one of, if not the single best mono recording ever, and the one that led the New York Times critic to coin the phrase "Living Presence," from which the label named its series). But how does a CD line go from having a half-dozen must have recordings, to being this reviewer's all-time favorite classical label?

The answer: consistently magical performances, captured in brilliant golden-age stereo sound, that offer a slightly different take on your typical interpretation of the great works. Of course, MLP also went to great lengths to feature music by more obscure composers, particularly contemporary Americans. While Dorati, and to some extent Paray, recorded these lesser known works, Howard Hanson was their champion. On this set, Hanson and the Eastman-Rochester Orchestra showcase compositions by McBride, Nelson, Mitchell, Vardell, Still and Ginastera (names I had never heard of before and very rarely since). While these are all virtually unknown compositions, Hanson performs them like they were from the classical canon. Maybe that is why collectors prize these recordings, because they are a breath of fresh air in a homogenized world of listening. Of course, collectors love a challenge too, and MLP CDs are becoming increasingly hard to find. It has taken years for me to finally find all of the MLP CDs released to date, and unfortunately I don't think there will be any new releases forthcoming. So collectors, and even those who aspire to be, should pick up as many Mercury Living Presence discs as possible now, before they all die.

Africa: Piano Music of William Grant Still
Average customer rating:

Haunting

Africa: Piano Music of William Grant Still
William Grant Still , and Denver Oldham
Manufacturer: Koch Int'l Classics
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

Chamber Music | Forms & Genres | Classical (c.1770-1830) | Historical Periods | Classical | Styles | Music
General | Classical | Styles | Music
General | Chamber Music | Classical | Styles | Music
Similar Items:

William Grant Still: Afro-American Symphony; In Memoriam; Africa (Symphonic Poem)

Works By William Grant Still

Music of William Grant Still

Still/Dawson/Ellington: Symphony No. 2/Negro Folk Symphony/Harlem

ASIN: B000001SEE
Release Date: 1993-03-04

Tracks:

Bells: Phantom Chapel
Bells: Fairy Knoll
Seven Traceries: Cloud Cradles
Seven Traceries: Mystic Pool
Seven Traceries: Muted Laughter
Seven Traceries: Out Of The Silence
Seven Traceries: Woven Silver
Seven Traceries: Wailing Dawn
Seven Traceries: A Bit Of Wit
Lenox Avenue: Blues From 'Lenox Avenue'
Swanee River
Five Preludes: Briskly
Five Preludes: Placidly
Five Preludes: Delicately
Five Preludes: Smooth And Sustained
Five Preludes: Liltingly
'Three Visions': Summerland From 'Three Visions'
Africa: Land Of Peace
Africa: Land Of Romance
Africa: Land Of Superstition

Customer Reviews:

Haunting.......2005-04-07

This haunting contemplation of piano works illustrates William Grant Still at his finest. Not a general household name Still, symbolizes America and atonal music in many different ways. His music is a nice blend of sorrow, African-American folk songs, and 20th Century atonalism. Atonal music is defined as, "using the tones of the chromatic scale impartially", which gives a unique effect and sound. This CD's sound is actually very good; I remember reading that the soloist recorded these works in a church. I highly recommend this CD to anyone in a provocative mood and has the urge to discover this composer and his wonderful talent.

Music Composers:

Music Composers

Music Composers