Search - Richard Ziebarth, Louis Moreau Gottschalk, Richard Rosenberg :: Gottschalk: Symphonies Nos. 1 & 2; Escenas Campestres Cubanas; Célèbre Tarantelle

Fantastic Music

D. A Wend | Buffalo Grove, IL USA | 04/04/2008

(5 out of 5 stars)

"I had only heard the music of Louis Moreau Gottschalk over the radio but I was curious so when this collection of orchestral music came along I bought the disc, and what a fabulous collection it is.



The CD begins with Symphony No. 2 subtitled A' Montevideo which is more like a symphonic poem that a true symphony but it is a marvelous two movement melodious work that includes a bit from Yankee Doodle in the second movement. The next work - the Tarantelle for Piano and Orchestra - is a charming work that was restored (as most of the music on this disc is) from Gottschalk's manuscript.



The Escenas Campestres Cubanas (Cuban Country Scenes) is a one act opera that mixes serious art with popular tunes. This reconstruction lasts just over 13 minutes and is marvelously tuneful and well sung by the soloists. The Variations de concert is based on a march written by the Portuguese King Luis I. Following the statement of the theme come a series of brilliant variations for piano and orchestra with the march restated by the brass between each variation. The Ave Marie is a very different setting for a solo boy, harp, strings, horns, bassoons and clarinet; it struck me as something that could have been written much more recently that 1864 as an antidote to the more famous Gounod and Schubert settings.



The La Casa del Joven Enrique por Mehul overture was written by the very young Gottschalk when he was studying music in Paris (but was not allowed into the Paris Conservatory because he was an American). He later recast the music as a concerto for multiple pianos and orchestra in 1861but the concerto was not performed as it was far too vast and complicated. The manuscript was discovered in 2003 and given its premiere performance in 2006. The final work is the Symphony No. 1 "A Night in the Tropics" perhaps Gottschalk's most famous orchestral work. The symphony begins quietly, as if describing a tropics paradise, then the brass enters with a soaring melody that dominates the movement for a few bars before returning to the serenity of the opening. The second part is a marvelous dance with Afro-Cuban percussion that anyone would mistake for a 20th century work when it was written in 1859.



This is an invaluable disc for the scholarly restorations by Richard Rosenberg of Gottschalk's music and the wonderful performance given by the Hot Springs Festival Symphony Orchestra. One should not be fooled by the name of the ensemble: they are a first class orchestra and perform beautifully. The music is great fun is listen to and I highly recommended it.

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