Edward MacDowell: Orchestral Works – Bohuslav Martinů Philharmonic, Charles Johnson

Edward MacDowell was the first American composer of stature to incorporate native elements into his music and depict, in romantic colours, the landscape of America. He composed two Orchestral Suites, both in five movements, both structured fast – slow – fast – slow – fast, with each movement being a self-contained miniature tone poem. The first suite was premiered by the Boston Symphony Orchestra on 24 September 1891 and in keeping with the spirit of many of his works it evokes pictures of the outdoors: ‘In a haunted forest’, ‘Summer Idyll’, ‘In October’, ‘The Shepherdess’s Song’ and ‘Forest Spirits’. His use of native elements is especially evident in his Second Suite for Orchestra, which was also premiered by the Boston Symphony Orchestra, in 1895. It is subtitled Indian Suite, all the themes derived from native American Indian melodies. It may also be significant that DvoÅ™ák’s Symphony ‘from the New World’ had appeared two years earlier. MacDowell composed his Sea Pieces in 1885 for solo piano. On this download, six of the eight pieces are available for the first time in a version orchestrated by Charles Johnson. Johnson graduated with degrees in music from the University of California at Los Angeles. From 1967 to 1978 he was on the faculty of Sam Houston State University where he taught music history and theory and conducted the orchestra. Since 1973 he has pursued a dual career as a conductor and violist. This is the first digital recording of these lovely, romantic works by one of America’s finest composers.