UHF No 70 (Net).indd - Ultra High Fidelity Magazine

only in 1963, when he was 50. That work,
Variants on a Medieval Tune, is the very
fi rst piece on the CD.
The medieval tune in question will
be familiar to most listeners as In Dulci
Jubilo, the tune to the Christmas carol
Good Christian Men Rejoice. Dello Joio
exposes it undisguised in the fi rst of six
movements, and then starts work to reuse
it in ever more inventive forms, played
fi rst by the bassoon, then the clarinet,
and later the brass, then different mixes
of brass and woodwinds: fl ute, French
horn, and so on. The percussion is used
as tasty condiment. He adds a number of
original melodies to the cauldron, some
of them unrelated to the main theme,
though sometimes more closely related
than one might guess.
Also on the CD is another set of variations,
the Fantasies on a Theme by Haydn.
The theme is drawn from Haydn’s String
Quartet No. 2, op. 76. Dello Joio had
borrowed the theme once before, for
his orchestral Homage to Haydn of 1969,
premiered by the Philadelphia Orchestra
no less! He later reworked it as this wind
band piece, and it sounds as though it
was originally written that way. There
are four movements, which have their
own track numbers on the CD, but are
played without pause. This suite alone is
worth ordering the record for.
The other pieces are less familiar, but
are worth discovering. City Profi les is a
wind band adaptation of his New York
Profi les of 1949, with constantly shifting
moods in which he uses the band to
excellent advantage. From Every Horizon
is also for New York, adapted from his
score for a fi lm about the 1964 World’s
Fair.
The members of the Keystone Wind
Ensemble are drawn from faculty,
students and administration of Indiana
University of Pennsylvania, which barely
hints at what an outstanding ensemble
this is. The playing is flawless, very
much together, and it is full of life and
enthusiasm. They play with obvious and
communicative pleasure that does justice
to the music. Bruce Leek’s engineering
is entirely up to the task, and indeed
appears to push the envelope of what can
be put onto a Red Book CD. The clarity
is wonderfully satisfying, and the percussion
rings with a power that is often
startling. Dello Joio loves the sound of
the orchestra, and Leek has captured it.
This is a truly great recording.
Note to the competition: before you do
your next 24-bit recording, have a listen
what Leek does with only 16.
Kickin’ the Clouds Away
George Gershwin
Klavier K77031
Lessard: At this moment I am hearing
George Gershwin at the piano.
Gershwin himself! After hearing his
music interpreted by so many other pianists,
by so many singers, by orchestras
large and small, by so many bands, after
having read thousands of comments on
his dazzling piano performances, I have
Gershwin himself in my Linn player,
nearly 70 years after his death. Such
emotion! That pleasure alone is enough
to justify getting this recording.
But that’s not all. It’s a chance to hear
once again his many moving melodies:
I Was So Young, You Were So Beautiful, a
gorgeous love song, Drifting Along With
the Tide, and So Am I. Better yet, I was
able to gauge for myself his inimitable
virtuosity, his brilliant playing. On this
CD he plays not only his own works
but also those of other composers he
admires: Jerome Kern, Irving Berlin
and others. I can’t believe it! And whence
comes this magic?
Starting in his twenties, Gershwin
played a number of compositions on a
reproducing piano, a more sophisticated
version of the player piano once common
in bars and saloons. Popular from 1903
to 1930, it could record on a paper roll
not only the actual notes played, but
also the dynamics and the pedal position.
The makers of these machines
were willing to pay good money to sign
up the fi nest pianists of their time. To
make this recording, a reproducing
piano was placed in a concert hall, stereo
microphones were suspended over it,
and Gershwin’s piano rolls were played.
Gershwin…in modern stereo!
But I won’t reveal all of the secrets of
this fabulous machine, since you’ll fi nd
them explained in detail in the booklet
accompanying the CD. I can add only
that this recording is a must in any
serious eclectic record collection, and
that you’ll listen with renewed pleasure
to Swanee, Shilkret’s Make Believe,
Donaldson’s Rockabye, Lullaby Mammy,
Rhapsody in Blue, and of course Kickin’
the Clouds Away.
Piano Rags
Richard Dowling
Klavier K77035
Lessard: Like many a new music form,
the rag was initially condemned by the
Establishment and considered suitable
for clubs and brothels. Its rapid
spread and huge popularity indicate
that, notwithstanding the disapproval,
it captivated music lovers everywhere,
and composers as well. Among those
who wrote ragtime music were John
Philip Sousa, the king of band marches
and inventor of the sousaphone, George
Gershwin, Sigmund Romberg, Jerome
Kern and Irving Berlin. You can also
fi nd ragtime in the music of Dvorak,
Debussy and others.
Though ragtime was shouldered aside
by jazz in the 1920’s, it was never totally
eclipsed, and there was renewed interest,
starting in the 60’s, in this music,
originated by itinerant pianists, mostly
Afro-Americans and mostly from the US
ULTRA HIGH FIDELITY Magazine 67
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