This time, it's Ferde Grofe's Hudson River Suite, plus a treat courtesy of fellow Grofe-phile/arranger Kevin Tam--a 1955 or 1956 interview with Andre Kostelanetz, in which Andre discusses the inspiration behind the suite and shares some Grofe details. Andre had a charming Russian accent--a little thicker than I might have guessed, but of course I had no evidence to go by.
The voice behind the baton. Thanks, Kevin! I've put the interview in a separate file.
The suite itself is gorgeous, and I'll have to confess that this was not my initial reaction. The year was 1981, and I think it was the third Grofe work I'd ever heard--after Grand Canyon and Mississippi--and it seemed too... light. Too lacking in mass (despite the superb 1955, RIAA-curve fidelity). I was expecting something more lively, I suppose. Something more in line with what I'd come to regard as Grofe. Nearly 40 years later, I find much to love in this suite, a piece which establishes its moods and describes its subjects in a subtle, restrained, and masterful fashion. New York, the closing portion, was going to be longer--much longer--but for some reason Kostelanetz had Grofe shorten it to the blink-and-you'll-miss-it track we get here. I'd have loved to hear the full movement, but it certainly makes for a memorable finish, even in its greatly abbreviated form (all 59 seconds of it!).
Rip Van Winkle was apparently written in 1932, though it didn't have a suite in which to function until Hudson River was commissioned in 1954. I'd forgotten that the suite was the conductor's idea and not Ferde's--the Kosty interview reminded me of this fact--but Grofe's genuine enthusiasm for his assignment is evident throughout. Unlike Aviation Suite, which has some inspired moments but suffers from too much repetition (even within its short playing time), Hudson River gives us perfectly and superbly maintained moods, with Rip (which also came out as a Kosty 45!) providing a bouncy, upbeat center. Albany Night Boat, which, on first hearing (about 1981) struck me as pretty pointless, now impresses me as a masterful musical portrait, with the ingenious Dixieland section an amazing example of scored jazz that doesn't sound premeditated. A neat piece of musical time-travel, similar to many moments in Grofe's 1960 San Francisco Suite, which you probably didn't know is available in a live performance (arranged by Kevin Tam, mentioned above) at YouTube.
Night Boat, which initially had me thinking, "This is a suite movement?" is now one of my favorite suite movements.
A contemporary assessment of this LP, written either for High Fidelity or Stereo Review, sarcastically described it as useful for testing one's hi-fi speakers (a knock on the sound effects used in Rip Van Winkle and the closing movement). Grofe wasn't too popular with the critics by the 1950s. Or maybe even before the '50s--I think there was much resentment that the Grand Canyon Suite was highly regarded by Toscanini when, in the minds of many critics, more worthy American composers had been passed over. I think the bottom line is that light music often gets no respect. I know of two other commercial recordings of Hudson River--a Dutch recording in 1984 (which I'll be posting), and the 2002 NAXOS recording, conducted by William Stromberg.
Grab your paddle and sail down (and/or up) the Hudson River Suite--and don't forget to download Kosty's comments about it.
DOWNLOAD: Hudson River Suite (Grofe)--Andre Kostelanetz and His Orch. (1955)
Andre Kostelanetz, interviewed about the suite (1955?)
The River
Hendrik Hudson
Rip Van Winkle
Albany Night Boat
New York
Hudson River Suite (Grofe)--Andre Kostelanetz and His Orch. (Columbia CL 763; 1955)
Lee
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