At last! The absence of a really good disc devoted to the music of John Alden Carpenter has long been one of the most glaring lacunae in the American classical music catalog. Individual works have turned up now and then (Sea Drift, the ballet Skyscrapers, or Krazy Kat), but never for very long, and certainly not to the extent Carpenter's musical gifts warrant. In what we can only pray will be the first of several discs devoted to this fine composer, Naxos offers two world-premiere recordings, plus the first new version of Adventures in a Perambulator since Howard Hanson's Mercury Living Presence recording made in the 1950s.


Carpenter's music achieves originality through a synthesis of various elements: a solidly traditional educational background (he studied with, among others, John Knowles Paine and Edward Elgar); a touch of French impressionism (especially in the orchestration); and reference to American popular song and dance modes, including jazz. These elements remain constant in varying degrees throughout his life. And so in Adventures in a Perambulator (a delicious view of the world from inside a baby carriage), we hear Debussy-like modal harmony and enchanting orchestration featuring ample use of harp, celesta, and glockenspiel, along with a touch of Irving Berlin, and a whiff of nascent rag-time. The two symphonies graft these elements onto a larger-scaled structure, but come off sounding no less fresh. The First Symphony employs a five-in-one movement form that's full of surprises, including a magical, fade-away ending, while the Second adopts a more traditional three-movement structure and features an especially jazzy finale. While neither lasts more than 20 minutes, they are still major works, tuneful and sophisticated at once, and reminiscent of no one else.


The National Symphony Orchestra of the Ukraine, as so often in Naxos' American Classics series, turns in fine performances of these three pieces under John McLaughlin Williams. At times in the Second Symphony's finale, you become conscious of the fact that the orchestra isn't quite comfortable with the syncopated rhythms, but then Carpenter's writing is frequently very exposed, and the problem is minor at best. Sonically, recordings from this source have been steadily improving, and this is one of the best. This delightful, important, lovable music belongs in every late-Romantic collection.
--David Hurwitz, ClassicsToday.com

This is one of those programs that adds up to more than the sum of its parts. David Aaron Carpenter plays a sensational viola, and he’s very capably accompanied by Vladimir Ashkenazy and the Helsinki Philharmonic. This would be a very recommendable version of Harold in Italy on its own, even in a quite crowded field. The two central movements have plenty of character and color, and the concluding Orgy of Brigands lacks nothing in fire or excitement. However, there are two specific factors that make this release more than ordinarily interesting. First, Carpenter has restored Berlioz’s original viola part to the first statement of Harold’s main theme. This was presumably a concession to Paganini, who of course wanted a virtuoso piece. It’s no surprise that Paganini wasn’t impressed by this scant minute of barely audible arpeggiation, and that Berlioz replaced it with the more songful, canonic version that we all know and love, but it’s good to hear for a change. Second, and more importantly, Carpenter and Ashkenazy include the work the Paganini wrote for himself instead, and which presumably better represents what he really had in mind. The Sonata per la Gran Viola e Orchestra lasts about thirteen minutes. It consists of an introduction followed by a recitative, a cantabile, and a concluding theme and variations. It is tuneful, splashy, and effectively virtuosic. What stands out particularly, though, is not its obvious bel canto qualities, but the fact that Paganini calls the work a “sonata” in the first place. Many have wondered how he could have asked Berlioz to write a piece for viola at all, given the huge disparity between what Paganini expected and what Berlioz actually produced. We’ll never know exactly what discussions passed between the two men, save that it seems on his own evidence that Paganini was not looking for a typical concerto, but for “something else.” Well, that’s certainly what he got! Harold, of course, offers no opportunity for the soloist to display his virtuoso chops. He’s basically just along for the ride. So it’s good to be able to report that Carpenter isn’t fazed at all by Paganini’s typically ridiculous demands. The work constitutes a fabulous encore to Harold, while the disc-opening Overture to Béatrice et Bénédict makes this release a perfect program for continuous listening. The whole production is excellently engineered, especially when it comes to the tricky issue of balancing the soloist against the larger ensemble. It’s just great when a program is as smartly assembled as it is musically brilliant. -- David Hurwitz, ClassicsToday.com

Part of Royal Opera's Britten centenary celebrations • 'Susan Bullock is an awe-inspiring Gloriana... Toby Spence, as Essex, has regained all his pristine vocal lustre' The Independent • 'Director Richard Jones... staging... is both moving and surprising... ' The Daily Telegraph • Extra features: Inside Rehearsals, Gloriana Behind the Scenes, cast gallery.