Dances for Piano and Orchestra

CHARLES WAKEFIELD CADMAN (1881-1946): Dark Dancers of the Mardi Gras, RICARDO CASTRO (1864-1907): Vals Capricho, Op. 1, LOUIS MOREAU GOTTSCHALK (1829-1869): Grand Tarantelle, Op. 67 (reconstr. Hershy Kay [1919-1981]), GABRIEL PIERNÉ (1863-1937): Fantaisie-Ballet, Op. 6, CARL MARIA VON WEBER (1786-1826)/FRANZ LISZT (1811-1886): Polonaise Brillante, Op. 73 (Liszt S.367), CAMILLE SAINT-SAËNS (1835-1921): Wedding Cake, Op. 76, FRYDERYK CHOPIN (1810-1849): Krakowiak in F, Op. 14.

Description: Aside from his earlier interests in American Indian music, Cadman was also a prolific film composer, especially during the silent era, and it is this last period that gives us the 1933 Dark Dancers. An 11-minute "Fantasy for piano with orchestra" comes across like a mix of Gershwin and a Hollywood musical spectacular ("Dark Dancers of 1933" perhaps?) of the Busby Berkeley type; one can almost see the dizzying camera swoops and vertiginous angles as the dozens of dancers do their lavishly choreographed and costumed thing, completely indulged Cadman's vivid orchestration. The Mexican Castro's Vals Capricho, the other true rarity here, is quite in the Chopin model of most of the composer's solo piano pieces. Joel Fan (piano), Northwest Sinfonietta; Christophe Chagnard.