Stars and Stripes Forever! Independence from Boring Music!

You know what this Friday is, don't you? Yes of course you do.

While some unfortunate, inward-looking souls in my former home country may prefer to celebrate "Getting Rid of the Troublesome Colonies Day", on Vivace, we know how to give you the best start to your Independence Day! So naturally, we'll have a very special program for the occasion. Of course, we'll feature great American music.

After 7 am, we'll have a work about America that we're pretty sure you've never heard before, a couple of songs from 1776 written by two of the Founding Fathers, and an 1816 version of the National Anthem. You may be surprised by how different it sounds.

 

We'll also celebrate the birthday of the great American songwriter, Stephen Foster, born on July 4th, 1826.

At 8 o'clock, we'll tell you the story of "My Country 'Tis of Thee" and we'll hear some unusual arrangements of familiar classics.

All in all, we'll prepare you for our live broadcast from Monticello at 9 am and we'll try to start your Independence Day as you probably hope to end it: with a musical bang!

You don't have to wear your red, white and blue, but if you would like to do that, please feel free!

Whatever you're wearing, as ever, I hope you'll join me for a sparkling, all-American edition of Vivace, 6-9 am this Friday.

Three Cheers for the Red, White and Blue!

Non-dogmatic American music from do.gma

American Stringbook
do.gma Chamber Orchestra
Berthold Records

For their sophomore album, the do.gma chamber orchestra stretches their repertory wings a bit, and come up with an interesting and artistically strong release. American Stringbook features 20th Century chamber orchestra works that, if not quite standard repertoire, certainly should be.

It's one thing for Americans to try to persuade the classical world to pay attention to American composers -- for a European ensemble to take up the cause is refreshing, indeed.

In the liner notes, concertmaster and artistic director Mikhail Gurewitsch writes;

We  dedicate our new production to the rise and development of the American Classical movement. We focus not just on famous composers such as Samuel Barber, but also on the composition of less well-known master,s whom we wish to introduce to a wider audience.

Those lesser-know composers include Arthur Foote, David Diamond, and William Schuman.

The do.gma chamber orchestra performs these works with authority and conviction. Arthur Foote's late-romantic Suite in E is particularly effective -- perhaps because the ensemble seems to have an affinity for the style (their first release was all-Tchaikovsky).

The mid-century works of William Schuman (Symphony No. 5) and David Diamond (Rounds for String Orchestra) also fare well. Diamond's work is, as the name suggests, a series of rounds, and the ensemble brings out every nuance of the independent lines as they interweave.

Samuel Barber's Serenade for String Orchestra is beautifully performed. The orchestra lingers lovingly over the rich  harmonies and evocative melodic turns of the piece.

The least successful work on the album is, surprisingly, the most famous. Barber's Adagio for Strings gets a sedate reading here. For some reason, the upper registers of the strings sounded a little harsh, and the emotive qualities of the rising melodic lines seems to have been dialed back a bit too much.

Still, all in all, American Stringbook is an impressive release. The quality of the music chosen and the overall performance of the do.gma chamber orchestra make a powerful combination. American Stringbook is an excellent introduction to American classical music.