Aspects of America - Pulitzer Edition - Live

This is a fine and stimulating collection of American orchestral music, all of which is well worth hearing. The performances, all stemming from concerts in the Oregon Symphony’s home hall, are excellent and engineer John Newton and producer Blanton Alspaugh have captured them in terrific sound which is vivid and truthful. Elizabeth Schwartz’s notes are good in many ways but I was disappointed that a few pieces of what I would regard as key information were not included.

It’s recently been announced that Carlos Kalmar will step down as Music Director of the Oregon Symphony at the end of the 2020-21 season, having held the post since 2003.

I’ve now heard several of their recordings and they indicate, as this latest release does, that theirs has been a fruitful partnership. I hope that before he leaves the orchestra there’ll be one or two additions to their joint discography.

The new Aspects of America album is terrific—easily the best Walter Piston Symphony No. 7 and the best Howard Hanson Symphony No.4 I’ve heard. The Hanson outshines the composer’s own release on a famous Mercury Living Presence. Add Pentatone’s trademark recording quality, and you have an album to treasure.