Richard Strauss once famously remarked: “I may not be a first rate composer, but I am a very good second rate composer.” The same might be said of Ferde Grofé. He’s not going to win any medals for formal ingenuity, expressive depth, or contrapuntal mastery, but he knew how to orchestrate, he could turn out a good tune, and, like Gershwin’s, his particular take on symphonic jazz remains irresistibly attractive. What once may have sounded cheap and glitzy now has period charm, and we can only hope that this second Naxos disc devoted to his symphonic suites won’t be the last.
There’s some great stuff here. The opening Hollywood Suite contains a dazzling movement called “Carpenters and Electricians” and a delightfully toe-tapping “Production Number”. The Hudson River Suite offers evocative nature sounds and some authentic dog barks in “Rip Van Winkle”, and concludes with a calamitous, Ivesian tribute to New York City. The Death Valley Suite features a vivid portrait of a wagon train, and like the more famous Grand Canyon Suite ends with violent weather (in this case a sandstorm). William Stromberg leads the Bournemouth Symphony in totally enjoyable performances, vividly recorded, with some particularly brilliant work from the brass section. If you like the Grand Canyon Suite, you’ll be pleased to know that there’s a lot more where that came from, and it’s no less worthy of your attention.
