3.10.2011 - William Schuman

[french frank]

William Schuman (1910-1992)

This will interest a few people, I think!

1/5. Donald Macleod explores the life and career of American composer William Schuman.
2/5. Including Schuman's Pulitzer Prize-winning cantata and much-loved New England Triptych.
3/5. Schuman's all-American baseball opera The Mighty Casey and his Violin Concerto.
4/5.
5/5.

[Suffolkcoastal]

And about time to but one year too late. Why wasn't this done in his centenary year last year? (The same thing happened with Cherubini earlier this year). Anyway lets see what Donald can come up with. I've got just about everything ever commercially recorded of his music and some other rare off-air recordings too as well as all the published symphonies except the 10th in score. I think this interest has also been brought out by two recent books on the composer, I have the earlier of the two 'An American Muse' but haven't got round to purchasing the most recent book, as hardback copies are so expensive these days.

[Serial_Apologist]

I last heard any music by W Schuman back in the 1980s - symphonies iirc - and found the music too stolid and worthy overall for my taste - rather as in the case of another American symphonist, Peter Mennin. Time for a reassessment, in my case, then.

[Roehre]

That's a pity: I am abroad between October 3rd and 14th
Like Suffolkcoastal I've got most of his music (though unfortunately not much rare works off-air), but I'd liked to listen to what Donald Macleod has to say.
And now I am confirmed in my objections to have CotW repeated immediately the same day, as having the repeat a week later (as was the case until iirc 2 years ago) I would at least have been able to use the iPlayer (how bad that may be) [. again]

[makropulos]

And about time to but one year too late.

Really? I'd have thought Schuman's music was good enough not to need an anniversary. I'm just delighted to see that he's on CotW.

[Suffolkcoastal]

That is true, but still more should have been made of his centenary. I do hope his best two symphonies nos 6 & 9 are included this week and the programmes are balanced to reflect the variety of his output. The Nielsen programmes last week were very well balanced lets hope for more of the same next week. I'll have to listen via Iplayer as I'm at work during the day and the 6.30 repeat is too early for me to catch in the evening.

[Suffolkcoastal]

Having a look through the schedule today, the programmes are a touch disappointing. His masterpieces the 6th & 9th Symphonies are absent (perhaps they are now considered too tough and 'scary' for a R3 audience) and there is none of his important chamber works such as the 4th & 5th String Quartets, his moving Song of Orpheus for Cello & Orchestra or impressive Voyage for solo Piano, A Question of Taste which appears on the last programme is comfortably Schuman's weakest work of his final years and shouldn't have been included. Good to see the fun Mail Order Madrigals and the Concerto on Old English Rounds though, which I still don't believe has been released on CD. It is a pity that Naxos don't concentrate on recording unrecorded works by significant American composers than recording rather anonymous works by non-entities as they seem to be doing more often.