The rare SPA recordings and private audio documents, 1943-1958. Composer George Antheil (1900-1959) is most remembered for his mechanistic piano music hailed by 1920s Paris, but by 1948, when he’d become the third most-played American-born composer of orchestral music, his style reflected a more emotional, more mature personality. This centennial collection highlights selections from Antheil’s later “neo-romantic” period and includes the only recordings of Antheil himself at the piano. A 60-page booklet by Charles Amirkhanian, illustrated with previously unpublished photos, accompanies this 2-CD set.
DISC ONE
1-11 Valentine Waltzes, for piano (1949), 20:50
12-19 Eight Fragments from Shelley, for mixed chorus and piano (1950), 11:34
20 McKonkey’s Ferry Overture, for orchestra (1948), 10:21
21-23 Symphony No. 5, “Joyous” (1947-48), 24:30
DISC TWO
1-2 Two Odes of John Keats, for narrator and piano (1950), 11:16‡
3 “The Prostitute,” from the ballet Capital of the World, for piano (1953), 1:27‡
4-5, 8-9 Stories for Peter, for voice and piano (1942), 10:41‡
6-7 Prediction of Allied Invasion of North Africa (1942). 6:33‡
10 George Antheil Speaks (1958), 17:59‡
11 The SPA Interview (1981) (Charles Amirkhanian interviews Mrs. F. Charles Adler and Norman Fox), 20:06‡
‡ World Premiere Recording
