ALEXANDRE TANSMAN (1897-1986): Symphonies, Vol. 3 - in A Minor (No. 2), Sinfonia concertante for Piano Quartet and Orchestra (Symphony No. 3), 4 Mouvements.

Description: The Second, from 1926, was premiered in Paris by Koussevitzky (and later was on the first public radio broadcast of the Boston Symphony, again with Koussevitzky at the helm) and sythesizes much of what was "modern" and new at the time: brght Stravinskian orchestral colors in the first movement, a more relaxed, Romantically-oriented slow movement with Slavic melody, a scherzo which Mendelssohn might have written if he'd been alive in 1926 (the most striking movement of this symphony) and a kaleidoscopic finale mixing all kinds of influences together. The 1931 Sinfonia concertante is hardly less fertile in its stylistic nods: neo-baroque fugal and concerto grosso reminiscences in the outer movements, a second movement Tempo Americano which is almost pure Gershwin and a slow movement honoring Bartók's stylization of peasant songs. How Tansman assimilated all of this into a personal style which grew and matured can be heard in the Mouvements, a work of almost symphonic size (18 min.) from 1968. Caroline Almonte (piano), Melbourne Symphony Orchestra; Oleg Caetani.