Still: Symphony No. 1; Ellington: Suite from "The River"

Still: Symphony No. 1; Ellington: Suite from "The River"

Still: Symphony No. 1; Ellington: Suite from "The River"
List Price: $18.99
Our Price: $11.23
You Save: $7.76 (41%)
Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days
Buy Used: from $5.60 (click here)
Category: Music CD
See more CD details
Listen soundtracks from this album



(Click here)
Buy this Music CD at online store in your country
Canadian Music Store

CD Details

Composer: Duke Ellington
Composer: William Grant Still
Conductor: Neeme Järvi
Orchestra: Detroit Symphony Orchestra
Orchestra: Ron Collier
Edition: Music CD
Audio: English (Original Language)
CD Release Date: 1993-12-30
Music Label: Chandos
Soundtracks:
  1. Symphony No. 1 (Afro-American): I Moderato Assai
  2. Symphony No. 1 (Afro-American): II Adagio
  3. Symphony No. 1 (Afro-American): III Animato
  4. Symphony No. 1 (Afro-American): IV Lento, con risoluzione
  5. Suite From 'The River': 1 Spring
  6. Suite From 'The River': 2 Meander
  7. Suite From 'The River': 3 Giggling Rapids
  8. Suite From 'The River': 4 Lake
  9. Suite From 'The River': 5 Vortex
  10. Suite From 'The River': 6 Riba
  11. Suite From 'The River': 7 Village Virgins

Music reviews of Still: Symphony No. 1; Ellington: Suite from "The River"

Music Review: African-American Composers In The Spotlight
Rating: 5 Stars

Two great African-American composers of the 20th century--William Grant Still (1895-1978) and the legendary "Sir" Duke Ellington (1899-1974)--have one work each spotlighted on this fine Chandos recording.

Still's "Afro-American" symphony--the Symphony No. 1--has the distinction of being perhaps the first symphony by an African-American ever to be performed by a major symphony orchestra (composer and conductor Howard Hanson led the work's world premiere in 1931 with the Rochester Philharmonic). It is a work that is very much a part of the composer's background, with its roots in jazz and the blues, and is every bit as American as the great works of Copland and Gershwin, though its symphonic structure is also very much along the lines of Brahms and Beethoven.

Duke Ellington, meanwhile, gets onto this recording via his 1970 ballet music for "The River", which was commissioned by Alvin Ailey's dance company. Though known as one of the premiere American jazz geniuses of all times, Ellington could also compose for symphonic orchestra (his total number of works is at least 2,000); and this work, which depicts the natural course of a river, is a wonderful and energetic piece.

Both Still's and Ellington's works are not all that well known, but are given first rate performances by the Detroit Symphony Orchestra under Neeme Jarvi. As they had done with the music of French composers under Paul Paray in the 1950s/early 1960s, and with 20th century music from composers like Copland and Richard Strauss under Antal Dorati in the late 70s/early 80s, the orchestra during Jarvi's tenure has been a strong advocate of African-American composers and their works, and this is a prime example of that. Well worth looking for and listening to.

More Still: Symphony No. 1; Ellington: Suite from "The River" free music reviews:
1 2

Description of Still: Symphony No. 1; Ellington: Suite from "The River"

All products are BRAND NEW and factory sealed. Fast shipping and 100% Satisfaction Guaranteed.
William Grant Still composed a large body of excellent music that deserves the widest possible circulation. He merged his mastery of the jazz vernacular with classical forms learned at Wilberforce and Oberlin. Even while studying later with an iconoclast like Edgar Varese, Still sought to extend the historical focus of the Harlem Renaissance into his compositions, injecting the "Afro-American" symphony especially with folk-inspired touches of impressionism and neo-Romanticism. The work seeks a broad sweep and bears resemblances to Gershwin and Ellington in the mix of pop and swing elements into the symphonic language. The coupling is a fitting one, in part because Ellington struggled for years to create a large-scale work that could indeed be considered rightfully "orchestral" outside his own big band's works. The Suite from the River is an ideal revelation, taking Ellington's sectionally orchestral thinking (where the orchestra was a conglomerate of different sections playing off each other) to levels that reach Still's well-schooled use of the symphony orchestra as a vehicle. Neeme Järvi does a fine job leading the Detroit Symphony Orchestra in rendering these two unlikely but deserving works. --Andrew Bartlett

Classical CDs

Music Genres
Bestsellers in Classical CDs
Winterscapes ImageWinterscapes
by London Philharmonic
Prophetic Voice; Published: 2000-07; Audio CD; Book
Best price: $2.75
Price in other shops: $6.99
The Queen, the Bear, & the Bumblebee ImageThe Queen, the Bear, & the Bumblebee
by Dini Petty
Children's Group; Published: 2001-03; Audio CD; Book
Best price: $13.38
Price in other shops: $13.98
Beethoven Lives Upstairs Cdr ImageClassical Kids - Beethoven Lives Upstairs Cdr
Release date: 2000-04-05; Music CD
Best price: $24.98
Tchaikovsky (Life and Works (Naxos)) ImageTchaikovsky (Life and Works (Naxos))
by Malcolm Sinclair, Jeremy Siepmann
Naxos; Published: 2003-11; Audio CD; Book
Best price: $35.99
Jose Carreras - Jubileum Concert [VHS] ImageJose Carreras - Jose Carreras - Jubileum Concert [VHS]
Sling Shot; Release date: 2000-04-18; VHS Tape; VHS Video
Best price: $5.86
Price in other shops: $9.99
Tchaikovsky - The Nutcracker / Nureyev, Park, Royal Ballet [VHS] ImageTchaikovsky - The Nutcracker / Nureyev, Park, Royal Ballet [VHS]
Kultur Video; Release date: 1997-09-09; VHS Tape; VHS Video
Best price: $29.89
Price in other shops: $29.95
Lonely Town Lonley Street / Sergeant's Early Dream [VHS] ImageRambert Dance Company - Lonely Town Lonley Street / Sergeant's Early Dream [VHS]
Kultur Video; Release date: 1997-10-28; VHS Tape; VHS Video
Best price: $14.99
Price in other shops: $29.95
Winter Music: Composing the North ImageWinter Music: Composing the North
by John Luther Adams
Wesleyan; Published: 2004-11-10; Hardcover; Book
Best price: $25.21
Price in other shops: $25.95
Puccini - La Fanciulla del West / Santi, Domingo, Neblett, Royal Opera Covent Garden [VHS] ImagePuccini - La Fanciulla del West / Santi, Domingo, Neblett, Royal Opera Covent Garden [VHS]
Kultur Video; Release date: 1999-05-25; VHS Tape; VHS Video
Best price: $6.38
Price in other shops: $29.95
Verdi - Falstaff / Giulini, Bruson, Ricciarelli, Nucci, Royal Opera Covent Garden [VHS] ImageVerdi - Falstaff / Giulini, Bruson, Ricciarelli, Nucci, Royal Opera Covent Garden [VHS]
Kultur Video; Release date: 1999-05-25; VHS Tape; VHS Video
Best price: $12.95
Price in other shops: $29.95
Similar CDs
John Adams: Harmonielehre / The Chairman Dances / Tromba lontana / Short Ride in a Fast Machine ImageJohn Adams: Harmonielehre / The Chairman Dances / Tromba lontana / Short Ride in a Fast Machine
Release date: 1994-04-12; Music CD
Best price: $8.37
Price in other shops: $16.98
Far East Suite ImageDuke Ellington - Far East Suite
Release date: 2011-03-11; Music CD
Best price: $9.92
Price in other shops: $11.98
Music of William Grant Still ImageMusic of William Grant Still
Release date: 2005-11-29; Music CD
Best price: $11.88
Price in other shops: $18.98
Afro Eurasian Eclipse ImageDuke Ellington - Afro Eurasian Eclipse
Release date: 1991-07-01; Music CD
Best price: $6.36
Price in other shops: $11.98
William Grant Still: Piano Music ImageWilliam Grant Still: Piano Music
Release date: 2005-09-20; Music CD
Best price: $5.00
Price in other shops: $8.99
Three Suites ImageDuke Ellington - Three Suites
Release date: 2008-02-01; Music CD
Best price: $2.56
Price in other shops: $6.99
William Grant Still: Symphonies Nos. 2 and 3; Wood Notes ImageFort Smith Symphony - William Grant Still: Symphonies Nos. 2 and 3; Wood Notes
Release date: 2011-12-13; Music CD
Best price: $5.66
Price in other shops: $9.99
Still: Symphony 2; Dawson: Negro Folk Symphony; Ellington: Harlem ImageStill: Symphony 2; Dawson: Negro Folk Symphony; Ellington: Harlem
Release date: 1994-01-04; Music CD
Best price: $11.83
Price in other shops: $18.99
William Grant Still: Symphonies Nos. 4 & 5; Poem for Orchestra ImageWilliam Grant Still: Symphonies Nos. 4 & 5; Poem for Orchestra
Release date: 2009-10-27; Music CD
Best price: $5.40
Price in other shops: $9.99
William Grant Still: Afro-American Symphony; In Memoriam; Africa (Symphonic Poem) ImageWilliam Grant Still: Afro-American Symphony; In Memoriam; Africa (Symphonic Poem)
Release date: 2005-03-22; Music CD
Best price: $5.77
Price in other shops: $8.99
Compare prices and find music notes for more than one million Music CD titles