Antheil: Symphonies Nos. 3 & 6 and Other Works BBC Philharmonic Orchestra & John Storgårds

• George Antheil (1900 - 1959): Archipelago "Rhumba":
• 1 Archipelago "Rhumba" 06:01
• Symphony No. 3 "American":
• 2 Symphony No. 3 "American": I. Allegro 08:24
• 3 Symphony No. 3 "American": II. Andante 06:35
• 4 Symphony No. 3 "American": III. The Golden Spike. Andante 04:16
• 5 Symphony No. 3 "American": IV. Back to Baltimore. Presto 05:21
• Hot-time Dance:
• 6 Hot-time Dance 04:33
• Symphony No. 6 "After Delacroix":
• 7 Symphony No. 6 "After Delacroix": I. Allegro molto marcato 08:48
• 8 Symphony No. 6 "After Delacroix": II. Larghetto 09:40
• 9 Symphony No. 6 "After Delacroix": III. Allegro 07:36
• Spectre of the Rose Waltz (Orch. 1947):
• 10 Spectre of the Rose Waltz (Orch. 1947) 04:53
• Total Runtime 01:06:07

Info for Antheil: Symphonies Nos. 3 & 6 and Other Works

Alongside its ongoing much-lauded Copland series, the BBC Philharmonic embarks on a new American journey, this time with its chief guest conductor, John Storgårds.

Known as the ‘bad boy of music’, George Antheil began his career with a reputation as an enfant terrible, composing shockingly avant-garde works such as his ever-popular Ballet mécanique, inspired by the dynamism and dissonances of Stravinsky’s early ballets. Although he is well-established on the film music scene, too, it is his symphonic output – sampled here – that today survives in the concert hall.

This new series documents the evolution of his musical style, which moved towards a fundamentally tonal and melody-based idiom, Antheil joining the growing ranks of famous US symphonists. The war-inspired Fourth Symphony and ‘joyous’ Fifth clearly represent this compositional shift, breaking with what the composer called the ‘now passé’ modernism.

Also here is the premiere recording of the Texas-inspired Over the Plains, memorable for its allusions to cowboy music and offering some unexpectedly dramatic and atmospheric twists along the way.

“... The Joyous ... is purposefully shaped by Storgards, played with bounce by the BBC Philharmonic and has a swaggering energy, built out of deceptively complex rhythms... Over the Plains is an evocative miniature that teems with effects and revels in its jump-cuts and clashing material. This is pure Americana and you’d have to be un imbécile not to enjoy it!” (Neil Fisher, The Times)

“...A brilliant recording all around, and an important one. Bring on the next instalment!” (Andrew Farach-Colton, Gramophone Magazine)

BBC Philharmonic Orchestra
John Storgårds, conductor

John Storgårds
“The Finnish conducting miracle” is the phrase used of the fantastic host of talented conductors to come out of sparsely-populated Finland over the last few decades. And from that crowd John Storgårds stands out. He has a dual career as conductor and violin virtuoso, and he is a pioneer in contemporary music – an idealistic and eclectic musician.

From the autumn of 2008 John Storgårds became the new chief conductor of the Helsinki Philharmonic, one of Scandinavia’s best and most tradition-rich orchestras. He is also chief conductor of the Tampere Philharmonic and artistic director of the magical Lapland Chamber Orchestra, which gives some of Europe’s most imaginative concerts north of the Arctic Circle.

Abroad John Storgårds has appeared with international orchestras such as l’Orchestre de Paris, the BBC Symphony Orchestra, the Oslo Philharmonic and the Scottish Chamber Orchestra. He has appeared in the USA, Asia and Australia and with leading ensembles specializing in contemporary music such as the Parisian Ensemble Intercontemporain. He has recorded a succession of CDs and can be heard for example as a soloist in Dacapo’s recording of Sunleif Rasmussen’s Violin Concerto no. 2, Songs of Seasons.

Booklet for Antheil: Symphonies Nos. 3 & 6 and Other Works