Symphonic Fantasia, Serenade No. 1, Stars, Sand

A-Seite:
Otto Luening
Symphonic Fantasia, 1924
Kentucky Rondo, 1951
Das Wiener Orchester unter der Leitung von F. Charles Adler

B-Seite:
George Antheil
Serenade No. 1 For Strings, 1948
(a) Allegro
(b) Andante Molto
(c) Vivo
Oslo Philharmonisches Orchester unter der Leitung von Alfredo Antonini

Mary Howe
Stars, 1934
Sand, 1926
Das Wiener Orchester unter der Leitung von William Strickland

Stars. 1934
Lento sonoro. D major. pic, fl, ob, cl, bn, 2hn, tpt, timp, cym, hp, stgs; 5 mins
»She sat on the porch of her Rhode Island house of an evening, and was inspired to write this atmospheric evocation of the heavens. Howe herself described it as '... a miniature tone-poem inspired by the gradually overwhelming effect of the dome of a starry night - its peace, beauty and space. The sonorous ensemble of strings opens the work with the suggestion of the spreading immensity of the starry vault. As the music progresses, one's imagination is carried into the contemplation of the awesome depths of space and the sense of mystery which man compares his insignificance with infinity.' It has been widely performed in America, including by the Philadelphia Orchestra under Leopold Stokowski. The Ambache gave the UK premieres of Stars, Sand, and Spring Pastoral in May 2004« (zit. nach http://www.ambache.co.uk/wHowe.htm#Stars).

Sand, 1926
Allegretto. C major. fl, ob, cl, bn, hn, perc, stgs; 3 mins
»Again inspired by her surroundings, Howe wrote of this music as an imaginative piece on the substance itself - its consistency, grains, bulk, grittiness and its potential scattering quality. It has also been widely performed, often as a companion piece to Stars. Stokowski wrote of it to Howe 'I enjoyed so much conducting your short but masterful work. I have had much pleasure in rehearsing it and it has developed in me a new conception of staccato. But of course this is only one of many interesting elements in the work'« (zit. nach http://www.ambache.co.uk/wHowe.htm#Stars).