Gould: Symphonettes Nos. 2-4 & Spirituals for String Choir & Orchestra Vienna Radio Symphony Orchestra & Arthur Fagen

• Morton Gould (1913 - 1996): Symphonette No. 4 "Latin-American":
• 1 Symphonette No. 4 "Latin-American": I. Rhumba 05:42
• 2 Symphonette No. 4 "Latin-American": II. Tango 05:30
• 3 Symphonette No. 4 "Latin-American": III. Guaracha 03:37
• 4 Symphonette No. 4 "Latin-American": IV. Conga 06:18
• Symphonette No. 3 "American":
• 5 Symphonette No. 3 "American": I. Moderately Fast 03:29
• 6 Symphonette No. 3 "American": II. Intermezzo. Slowly 04:46
• 7 Symphonette No. 3 "American": III. Gavotte. Bright Tempo 03:03
• 8 Symphonette No. 3 "American": IV. Finale. Very Fast 03:02
• Symphonette No. 2 "American":
• 9 Symphonette No. 2 "American": I. Moderately Fast, with Vigor & Bounce 03:47
• 10 Symphonette No. 2 "American": II. Pavanne 03:46
• 11 Symphonette No. 2 "American": III. Fast & Racy 03:23
• Spirituals for String Choir & Orchestra:
• 12 Spirituals for String Choir & Orchestra: I. Proclamation 05:09
• 13 Spirituals for String Choir & Orchestra: II. Sermon 04:20
• 14 Spirituals for String Choir & Orchestra: III. A Little Bit of Sin 02:13
• 15 Spirituals for String Choir & Orchestra: IV. Protest 02:59
• 16 Spirituals for String Choir & Orchestra: V. Jubilee 04:08
• Total Runtime 01:05:12

Info for Gould: Symphonettes Nos. 2-4 & Spirituals for String Choir & Orchestra

Morton Gould was an American musical phenomenon, equally at home in classical, crossover and film genres, and the recipient of both GRAMMY and Pulitzer awards during his long and distinguished career. The Symphonettes represent Gould’s best crossover work—the Symphonette No. 4 deriving its character from Latin-American dance forms to make it one of his most popular compositions. The first movement of Symphonette No. 3 has been described as “a collection of dance band licks, full of bent notes and syncopations” and the central Pavanne of Symphonette No. 2 with its bluesy trumpet motif is one of Gould’s biggest hits. Spirituals for Orchestra utilizes the strings as a choir, with antiphonal responses in the rest of the orchestra.

“While his music is perhaps not as popular as it once was, the attractive and inventive light orchestral music of Morton Gould is still delightful when listened to in the right mood – and particularly when delivered with the panache to be found on this disc. Morton Gould was an American musical phenomenon, equally at home in classical, crossover and film genres, and the recipient of both GRAMMY and Pulitzer awards during his long and distinguished career. The Symphonettes represent Gould’s best crossover work – the Symphonette No. 4 deriving its character from Latin-American dance forms to make it one of his most popular compositions.” (Barry Forshaw – CDCHoice.co.uk)

Vienna Radio Symphony Orchestra
Arthur Fagen, conductor

Arthur Fagen
has been professor of orchestral conducting at the Jacobs School of Music since 2008. Additionally, he has been music director of the Atlanta Opera since 2010.

He has conducted opera productions at the world's most prestigious opera houses and music festivals. From 1998 to 2001, he was invited regularly as guest conductor at the Vienna State Opera. On the concert podium, he has appeared with numerous internationally known orchestras.

Fagen has an opera repertory of more than 75 works. He has served as principal conductor in Kassel and Brunswick, as chief conductor of the Flanders Opera of Antwerp and Ghent, as music director of the Queens Symphony Orchestra, and as a member of the conducting staff of the Chicago Lyric Opera.

From 2002 to 2007, he was music director of the Dortmund Philharmonic Orchestra and the Dortmund Opera. He and the Dortmund Philharmonic were invited to the Concertgebouw in Amsterdam, the Palais de Beaux Arts in Brussels, and to Salzburg, Beijing, and Shanghai.

Fagen conducted a new production of Turandot at the Atlanta Opera in 2007, opening the season and inaugurating the new opera house, the Cobb Energy Performing Arts Center.

He was first-prize winner of the Baltimore Symphony Orchestra Conductors Competition, as well as a prize winner of the Gino Marinuzzi International Conductors' Competition in Italy.

Fagen has recorded for BMG, Bayerischer Rundfunk, SFB, and WDR Cologne. He records regularly for Naxos, for which he has completed the six symphonies of Bohuslav Martinu. His Naxos recording of Martinu's piano concertos was awarded an Editor's Choice award in the March 2010 issue of Gramophone magazine.

Booklet for Gould: Symphonettes Nos. 2-4 & Spirituals for String Choir & Orchestra