Schuman: A Song of Orpheus – Fantasy for Cello and Orchestra
This page lists our only recording of A Song of Orpheus – Fantasy for Cello and Orchestra, by William Howard Schuman (1910-92) on CD & download (MP3 & FLAC).
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This recording presents three important yet infrequently heard American cello works.
It is the first modern recording of William Schuman’s A Song of Orpheus; the Virgil Thomson Concerto for Violoncello and Orchestra in its original full orchestration has not been recorded since the 1950s; and William Perry’s Jamestown Concerto is receiving its world première recording.
All three composers worked extensively in art song, opera or musical theatre, and their concertos, while technically demanding, emphasise the lyric qualities of the cello, the instrument that most closely identifies with the human voice.
The music is distinctly American, optimistic and outgoing, while intentionally touching on the roots of the American experience.
William Perry: Jamestown Concerto
I. London 1606. The Virginia Company
II. Settlements Along the River
III. The Long Winters
IV. Pocahontas in London
V. Jamestown: Four Hundred Years On
William Shakespeare: Henry VII, Act 3: Orpheus with his Lute Made Trees
Henry VII, Act 3: Orpheus with his Lute Made Trees
William Schuman: A Song of Orpheus
A Song of Orpheus
Virgil Thomson: Cello Concerto
I. Rider on the Plains
II. Variations on a Southern Hymn
III. Children's Games
Classics Today
(on a previous release)
“Hanani’s cello is an impressive instrument, full of body and capable of an enormous range of color, and Hanani knows exactly how to fully exploit all of its possibilities…the consummate tastefulness that informs all of the playing here only serves to elevate the performances and the music.”
Click on any of the works listed above for alternative recordings.
I. London 1606. The Virginia Company