An Interesting Recording Archive
D. A Wend | Buffalo Grove, IL USA | 06/28/2003
(4 out of 5 stars)
"I read about George Antheil before I heard his music. Mr. Antheil lived in Paris during the 1920s and there exists a photograph of him climbing the wall of the building he lived in (above the famous Shakespeare and Company). Since that time, I have gotten to know the music of George Antheil from the excellent recordings by Hugh Wolff, so I was interested in
hearing more of his music.The two discs in this set were issued for the Antheil centennial and provide us with an intimate glimpse of the composer. Collected here are the only recordings Antheil made of his own music. The Valentine Waltzes are charming and sound a bit like the preludes of Dimitri Shostakovich, a comparison that has been made of Antheil's music. These are followed by a
setting of Shelly fragments for voice and piano which was well performed but not necessarily a work that will be a favorite of mine. The orchestral works, the McKonkey Ferry Overture and Fifth Symphony are well played and are marvelous works. The symphony compares well with the recording by Hugh Wolff and the sound is quite good. The second CD starts of with Two Odes
of John Keats for speaker and piano, with Mr. Antheil at the piano and Vincent Price as the speaker. This recording is probably of more interest for the participation of Vincent Price. The Odes are well performed and recorded but is also something I would not listen to very often. There is
a short piece from a ballet called 'Capitol of the World' played and introduced by George Antheil. This is quite tantalizing and I wish I could hear more. Next, are four songs written for his son Peter in 1942, which Mr. Antheil recorded on his own 78-disc recorder. The quality of the recording is not very good but are clear enough. The songs are stories
written for Peter and set to music; they offer a more intimate look at Mr. Antheil as he sings and accompanies himself on the piano. I am not sure if George Antheil even thought these recordings would be published; they are intimate and were obviously done with some fun in mind. There also is an interview with George Antheil from 1958, the year before his death, where he provides a complete and candid biography of himself.There are three tracks recorded on this CD that I have trouble justifying in this collection. Two are news items from the Second World War that Mr. Antheil recorded on his disc player, the last is a 20 minute interview with Hannah Adler and Norman Fox concerning the SPA record company that recorded the music on these discs. Since they do not directly concern Mr. Antheil's music I cannot justify their being here.This is an interesting set for someone who has a deep interest in George Antheil's music but I consider the three tracks I mentioned as a big drawback. I hope that record companies take a good look at George Antheil's music and record more of it. In this regard, I must note the Hugh Wolff has recorded
1, 4, 5 and 6 of George Antheil's six. I hope to see the 2nd and 3rd someday."
Track Listings (23) - Disc #1